Three-Year-Old Boy Attacked By Family Dog

A three-year-old was rushed to hospital Thursday night after he was badly injured when the family dog attacked him.

Animal Control officers are investigating the attack. They removed the dog from the home on Robinson Avenue near Apopka and quarantined the animal.

The little boy was taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital where he is expected to recover from his injuries. The worst injury may be where the dog's teeth sunk deep under the 3-year-old's jaw. There were also deep wounds to his chest.

AT THE SCENE: 3-Year-Old Boy Attacked By Family Dog

3-year-old Jaquavious Carroll was sitting up on the gurney as he and medics arrived at Arnold Palmer Hospital. He already had bandages in place to stop the bleeding from his wounds.

The boy's family called 911 after he was attacked by the family dog.

"He was screaming and he had a big gash in his face," said Patrick Pugh, victim's cousin.

The victim's cousin says no one actually witnessed the attack by this 120-pound German Shepherd-mix, but after the attack the injuries kept mounting.

"As I was turning his head to look at his body, I noticed a gash under his neck. I mean his neck was cut really bad. Then pulled up his shirt and he had a big open wound across his whole chest," described Pugh.

The dog is named Cujo, and the family says he has attacked the same child before. This time the dog bolted and animal control officers had to hunt it down.

"The dog was not friendly towards us when we picked it up," said Mike Davis, Orange County Animal Control. "It was loose when we picked it up and it was aggressive toward us."

Since no one witnessed the attack this time, family members can only speculate as to why the family dog would have lashed out at the child as other kids played nearby.

"Sometimes they play with the dog. Sometimes they throw and hit at the dog. So maybe the dog wasn't just attacking them, maybe they were hitting at the dog," said Pugh.

The dog belongs to the victim's great uncle who lives in the same home. This is the second time animal control has quarantined the dog, and officers tell Eyewitness News that it is likely this dog will not be released back to any owner.