4-Year-Old Boy Suffers Severe Facial Injuries After Dog Mauls Him At Birthday Party

A 4-year-old boy in Australia has been left with a disfigured face after he was mauled by a dog at a birthday party.

The incident took place at a property in Gympie, Queensland, on Sunday. The young boy, who was attending a birthday party with his family, was attacked by the canine when he wandered off a jumping castle, Perth Now reported.

The boy, identified as Ace Elson, reportedly attempted to pat the dog when it latched onto his head and started shaking him. As a result, the child was left with a gaping wound across his left cheek and ear.

Ace was rushed to Queensland Children's Hospital. He underwent emergency surgery and received stitches from his cheek to his ear, the outlet reported.

The boy's father, Luke Elson, told Nine News that his son will likely be discharged from the hospital within the next week. He said the child was deeply traumatized that he might be forever afraid of dogs.

"He's upset. He's questioning why the dog bit him, we're worried that he's going to be petrified of dogs," Luke said.

The father took to Facebook to thank the hospital staff for providing the "best care" to his son. "I just want to thank everyone for all your love and support, and to everyone that has helped us so far thank you so much," he wrote.

This was reportedly the ninth dog attack case in Queensland in April.

"A lot of these injuries require significant rehabilitation in hospital and surgical intervention," Queensland Ambulance Service's Lachlan Parker said and asked people to be more vigilant around dogs as such attacks can leave severe psychological impacts.

Dejana Durdevic, a dog behavior trainer with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), said people, especially children must take permission from the dog's owner before petting the canine.

"If they stay back-leave them," she suggested. "Say hi, keep walking."

Durdevic also urged the owners to keep a check on dogs for changes in their behavior to reduce the risk of such attacks.