Pet Dog Attacks 7-Year-Old Boy in Texas; Owner Arrested and Charged

A Texas boy from the small city of Azule sustained severe injuries after his neighbor's pet dog attacked him last month.

The boy was rushed to the nearby Fort Worth hospital where he would need to spend time to recover.

Local authorities arrested and charged the dog's owner and euthanized the dog that attacked the boy.

Texas Boy Hospitalized, Dog Owner Charged

(Photo : Jack Taylor via Getty Images)

Conner Landers, the 7-year-old boy, was on his way home from school in Azule when the incident happened on Jan. 21.

Multiple reports indicated the Conner was attacked by a mixed breed of a boxer and bullmastiff dog due to unknown reasons, as per Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Conner has been hospitalized at Fort Worth hospital due to sustained lacerations on his face and arms caused by the mauling. The wounds of Conner from the attack will require him to undergo physical therapy to use his arm and learn to write again, as per CBS DFW.

Prior to the attack, the dog reportedly escaped from the fenced backyard of Lander's neighbor.

As a result, the police arrested and charged the dog owner, Patti Jean Bell-Neveling, 49 years-old, with a third-degree attack by a dog resulting in severe injury.

Also read: Savage Dog Attack Leaves 49-Year-Old Woman Traumatized After Her Lip Was Ripped Off

Aggressive Dog Behavior and Related Cases in the US

According to the Animal Humane Society (AHS), aggression among dogs is defined as a natural tendency for them to threaten or attack another individual due to a multitude of factors.

The AHS added that this dog aggression causes concern for many dog owners.

Dog attacks on humans are common and this particular type of aggressive behavior is unpredictable in some cases.

In the United States alone, approximately more than 4.5 million people have experienced dog attacks each year, as per the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

In 2020, a German shepherd attacked a 4-year-old girl in Wyoming-but was saved by his 6-year-old brother who received much of the blow and injuries from the dog attack, as per CNN.

US Dangerous Dog Laws

Fatal dog attacks, including bites, fall under a US state's public health, safety, and welfare police power standard, as per the Michigan State University - College of Law.

As a result, 42 states and the District of Columbia have statutes and ordinances collectively known as the Dangerous Dog Laws.

The Dangerous Dog Laws regulate violent dog behaviors across the US.

Under the law, local authorities, including law enforcement, have the right to kill or euthanize an evidently aggressive dog that caused an injury or death of a human or another animal.

The law includes general provisions. Because of this, the law does not reportedly specify which dogs are considered dangerous or not under the right justification.

Hence, there is a need to narrow down these provisions of the law, as per the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.  

Regardless of the said law in the US, most cases of pet dog attacks in the country are primarily blamed on their owner. The rationale is based on the sole responsibility of the owner to ensure that his or her pet dog will not cause any harm.

Related article: Brave Six-Year-Old Protects His Younger Sister From Vicious Dog Attack