Weeki Wachee boy attacked by family’s three great danes: ‘Horrific situation’

WEEKI WACHEE, Fla. - A 5-year-old boy is recovering after he was attacked nearly a week ago by his family's three dogs in Weeki Wachee, according to deputies. 

The Hernando County Sheriff's Office said they received a call about the attack from an off-duty reserve deputy just after 7:45 p.m. on Friday, July 11. They said the attack happened at a home in Weeki Wachee. 

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What we know:

Off-duty Reserve Deputy Stephen Murphy said he was approached by one of his neighbors holding her 5-year-old son. The sheriff's office said the child was bleeding profusely from the head, neck and body. 

The mother told the off-duty deputy that her son was attacked in the backyard by the family's three great danes. The deputy, who is also a paramedic for Hernando County Fire Rescue, began lifesaving measures until first responders could arrive to treat the child, according to officials. 

The 5-year-old boy was flown to a trauma center in Tampa with life-threatening injuries, investigators said. After extensive treatment at the hospital, the child is walking and in the beginning stages of rehabilitation. 

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All three dogs were removed from the home by animal control officers and taken to animal services on a 10-day quarantine, according to HCSO. 

Dig deeper:

The boy's mother told deputies that she was suffering from a cold and was lying down when the attack happened, and her husband had just left to go to the store. 

HCSO said the couple has six children between the ages of 5 and 17. The couple's 6-year-old son was outside with the 5-year-old when the attack happened, according to authorities. 

Deputies said the mother immediately ran outside after hearing screaming and saw the dogs pulling at her son. She told deputies that the dogs ran away after she yelled at them. 

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HCSO said the mother told them that the family has owned the dogs for three years and that they'd never shown any aggression toward their children. 

What they're saying:

Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis released the following statement on the dog attack: 

"This is a horrific situation, no matter how you look at it. Thank the Lord a dedicated and well-trained first responder, who is never really off duty, especially with a marked unit in the front yard, was able to take quick action to prevent an even more tragic outcome.

When something like this happens, there is often a lot of discussion about the event. One thing is for sure, any medium or large breed dog, regardless of breed, has the potential to cause serious harm or death, especially to very young children. This is true even if the dogs are raised from puppies with those same young children. It is just too easy for a young child to scare, frustrate, or accidentally hurt the dog. This often results in some form of attack.

We must remain vigilant when it comes to monitoring interactions between our pets and young children so that tragic incidents like this one don't occur in the future.''