WESTOVER, W.Va. — A dog was put down after it attacked a middle-school student at a bus stop in Westover on Wednesday morning.
Westover Police Chief Rick Panico said the male dog escaped from its owner’s house and followed its owner’s kids to their bus stop, on Riverview Avenue, at about 8:30 a.m.
It’s not clear if the dog was being tormented or if he just got angry, but Panico said it “latched on” to a kid and left a gash in the boy’s leg.
The 10 or 11-year-old was taken to the hospital and received stitches, Panico said. He said the injuries were not life-threatening.
He said the first officer on the scene used pepper spray to try and control the dog, but the dog got “rambunctious” and got a hold of the officer’s pants and tore them.
When another officer arrived on scene the officers whistled, attracting the dog’s attention while waiting for the dog warden, who captured it.
Pancio said the dog was not licensed and there was no proof of shots, so the owner signed the dog over and it was then put down, because it attacked and injured the boy.
Officers were told the dog may have been involved in a fight with a raccoon or squirrel, and so the dog was sent to Charleston to be tested for rabies.
The owner was cited for allowing the dog to be loose without a leash and will pay a fine decided by a judge.
Story by William Dean