When Oregon police responded to a dog attack, they found the owner, hands stained with blood, desperately trying to intervene.
Tragically, two dogs fatally mauled a 6-year-old child in a Portland home on Tuesday morning. The Portland Police Bureau has not released the child’s name.
Around 7:38 a.m., police responded to a dog attack in the Parkrose Heights neighborhood. The owner, Mike Benner, greeted them with blood-stained hands, having tried to intervene in the tragic incident. The woman was later treated for minor injuries at the hospital.
It’s a six-year-old boy. Mike Benner, speaking on behalf of the bureau, expressed deep sadness for the child, his family, and friends, saying, “My heart breaks for this little boy.” He conveyed the shock and disbelief surrounding the incident, especially so close to Christmas.
The police confirmed that the two dogs, described as large Great Dane-mastiff mixes, were euthanized. This decision was confirmed early Wednesday morning.
Multnomah County Animal Services is currently holding a third dog that was present in the house during the incident as they conduct further investigation.
According to FOX 12, even though the little boy did not live in the dog owner’s home, his grandmother dropped the young boy off at his house because the owner was taking him to school.
According to the report, the child opened the garage door while the owner and three of her dogs were inside, leading the other two dogs to attack him.
“The homeowner and dog owner did everything she could to stop the attack, even reaching for a gun at some point, though it didn’t come to that,” Benner stated.
“She made every effort to save the boy’s life.”
The community was deeply affected by the tragedy. Sergey Dengub, a neighbor who had interacted with the dogs before, shared, “They’re fine; they’re so friendly, they’d be jumping on me,” speaking to FOX 12.
“They were big dogs, but they were really friendly dogs,” he added.
“I spoke to the owner’s husband today… he is very stressed.”
