Thursday, Sep. 18, 2008

Boy recovering after pit bull attack

By Paula Horton, Herald staff writer

A 6-year-old Moses Lake boy is recovering at a Seattle hospital after being mauled by a pit bull that pushed open a gate and attacked the boy in his backyard.

Alex Medina is in satisfactory condition at Harborview Medical Center, a hospital spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Medina was playing in his fenced backyard at 9928 Sunny Drive around 6 p.m. Friday when the pit bull attacked, Moses Lake police Sgt. Mike Williams said.

Medina suffered "severe trauma" to his face, ears and scalp before the dog could be pulled off by Medina's mother, relatives and bystanders, Williams said.

An aunt, Alissa Gonzales, said doctors reattached the boy's nose and ears, The Associated Press reported. He faces more surgeries.

The boy was taken to Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake, then flown to Harborview.

The pit bull, who lives in the neighborhood, is unlicensed and was running loose, Williams said.

The dog, owned by Tausha R. Klein, 34, was impounded.

Moses Lake police are still investigating the case to see "what we have and what's appropriate to file," Capt. Dave Ruffin said.

Moses Lake does not have a city code requiring pit bulls or other breeds of dogs deemed potentially dangerous to be specially licensed and bonded, but pets are required to be licensed.

There is a state law that would now allow the pit bull to be designated as dangerous or potentially dangerous and impose specific registration and housing requirements because of the recent attack.

Officers are not aware of any previous problems with the dog.