This dog, named Blueberry, attacked a toddler in Putnam County. | News4Jax
Published on October 16, 2024 at 4:46 pm
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A 2-year-old boy is hospitalized in serious condition after a dog mauled him Tuesday in Putnam County.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office says the attack happened just before 2 p.m. at a home on South Street in Melrose.
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The dog’s owners say the boy tugged on the dog’s ear while playing with it. The dog, named Blueberry, growled, and the boy’s mother pulled him away, police said.
When the mother looked away, the toddler went back and the dog bit his face, according to a police report.
The bite caused serious injuries to the toddler’s left cheek and chin, the report said.
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Owners told investigators the dog had attacked other dogs but never a person. The dog’s owners said it was the boy’s fault for getting bit, the police report said.
The dog is now in the hands of Putnam County Animal Control.
Randy comes to Jacksonville from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, where as metro editor, he led investigative coverage of the Parkland school shooting that won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for public service. He has spent more than 40 years in reporting and editing positions in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio and Florida.
