A 2-year-old boy was mauled to death by two dogs Friday in High Springs.
The boy died from his injuries on the scene, and his grandmother was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries from fighting off the dogs, said Lt. Brett Rhodenizer, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson.
ACSO and Fire Rescue responded to a mobile home, on the 20000 block of Northwest 210th Avenue, where the incident occurred at about 10:30 a.m., Rhodenizer said.
The grandmother took care of multiple dogs that lived in the home, he said. She let two dogs and her grandson out into the backyard while she ate on the back porch.
After briefly going inside, she didn’t see the boy or the dogs in the yard, Rhodenizer said. She checked an outbuilding on the property and found the dogs mauling the child. She fought off the dogs.
There have been no reports about the dogs in the past year, Rhodenizer said. It’s unclear why they attacked the child.
The dogs are in the custody of the Alachua County Animal Services Department, Rhodenizer said.
Animal Services could not be reached to identify the dogs’ breeds.
This is the fourth dog attack reported in Alachua County in the past six months.
In February, two pit bulls mauled to death Tico, a chihuahua. In December, a pit bull killed Fred, a pug and beagle mix. In September, three pit bulls killed Bella, an emotional support dog.
This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as more information becomes available.
