BOSTON -- A dangerous dog has been put down after a 3-year-old girl is bitten in her Boston neighborhood.
The attack apparently happened shortly before 10 a.m. on Wednesday when the dog, named Apollo, became aggressive while the pair were playing together outside their home at 15 Pond St.
"She was in the yard playing, I guess," said Alexis Roman, the victim's uncle. "She probably snuck up on him, and he got distracted. He turned around and snapped at her."
Philip Hiltz, the victim's next-door neighbor, witnessed the entire attack.
"It immediately turned around and grabbed her by the entire face. It shook her and wouldn't let her go. It was pretty gruesome. She had cuts on the side of her face, and her eye... looked almost pushed in," said Hiltz.
Other neighbors, like Collette Jackson, say they heard loud screaming from a little girl and then several adults shouting.
"I didn't know if it was a girl or a baby screaming at the top of her lungs. It was terrible," said Jackson.
The toddler reportedly received stitches for a facial injury. She is expected to be released from the hospital soon.
Apollo had to be put down so that authorities could check for rabies.
"We hate to get rid of him, but if that's what we have to do, that's what it is," said Roman.
The dog apparently belonged to one of the child's cousins, who has now been cited for several violations as his pet was not licensed and did not have a muzzle, leash or rabies shots.
Apollo was one of two dogs living at the Pond Street house, where the yard is fenced in and several "Beware of Dog" signs are posted.
Still, the local mailman commented he had stopped delivering to the residence, because he believed both dogs to be dangerous. The pets also reportedly frightened other neighbors and animals living in the area.
"[The dog] shouldn't even be allowed back into that house," said Jackson.
However, Roman says Apollo had been with the family for over a year and had never been aggressive toward anyone.
"It's sorta, kinda rare for the dog," said Roman. "The other day, we had a communion over here with a bunch of kids running around. He's always around kids."
(Copyright (c) 2007 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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