5 Jan 2017

Council puts down dog that attacked five-year-old

5:32 pm on 5 January 2017

The dog that bit a five-year-old boy in Wairoa last week has this morning been destroyed by the local pound.

Dog teeth and tongue, generic

Photo: 123RF

The boy was discharged from hospital in Wellington on Monday after receiving specialist treatment for a serious facial injury.

The dog was impounded after the incident and Wairoa District Council began an investigation into the attack.

A council spokesperson said the dog's owner did not show up to retrieve it.

The owner was likely to face penalties and the council's policy was to destroy a dog if it remained unclaimed after seven days, the spokesperson said.