Baby airlifted to Alicante after dog attack in Abanilla
The five-month-old was bitten on the head while in his stroller, and police are now searching for the animal’s owner
A five-month-old baby remains in hospital after being attacked by a dog in Abanilla last Saturday, in an incident that has left police investigating exactly what happened. The child was being pushed in a stroller by family members in Cañada de la Leña, a small rural hamlet on the border with the Alicante province municipality of Pinoso, when the animal lunged at him and bit him on the head.The dog then ran off, and the Guardia Civil is now trying to trace its owner. Officers are also checking whether the animal was listed as potentially dangerous, as they work to establish which dog was involved and who was responsible for it. According to sources close to the case, the animal’s documentation was in order, but the investigation is continuing.
Emergency services were quickly called to the scene, with Guardia Civil officers and paramedics attending the child before he was taken first to the health centre in nearby Pinoso. From there, he was airlifted by helicopter to Doctor Balmis Hospital in Alicante, where he remained in the ICU this Holy Monday with a guarded prognosis, according to health sources.
The hamlet where the attack happened is very small, with fewer than 200 residents, and it is an area where animals are often left to roam freely. Sources close to the matter say that in rural places like this it is common for residents to let dogs move around without muzzles, although that can pose a risk to other people.
The case has brought back unhappy memories of similar attacks in the Region. Last year, around this time, a four-year-old boy was injured after being bitten by an American bully in Torreagüera, while last August a 13-year-old boy was attacked by two dogs in San Javier. In both cases, the victims were left injured but alive, and emergency services were able to respond in time.
For now, the focus remains on the baby in Alicante and on the Guardia Civil’s search for the dog and its owner.
Image: wikicommons
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