Rottweiler That Attacked 5-Year-Old Boy To Be Put Down

The family dog that mauled a 5-year-old boy from Australia will be euthanized by the family.

The incident happened at the Lake Macquarie suburb of Sunshine, Australia, on Sunday evening. According to 9News, the child was bitten on the left side of his neck and was treated at the scene by two ambulance crews before being flown to the Children's Hospital at Westmead to undergo surgery.

His injuries are reportedly not life-threatening.

The dog, which was described as a Rottweiler-type breed, was immediately secured after the incident. An investigation was undertaken by Lake Macquarie Police District and the local council, a police spokesperson said.

In October, a similar incident took place in New Zealand, where a rottweiler mauled and killed a newborn baby. The animal attacked the baby boy at an Enderley property in Hamilton, leaving him in critical condition. The infant spent a night fighting for his life but passed away, the police confirmed.

The baby boy, who had been born just the night before, was bitten by the family's rottweiler at about 7 p.m. when his mother went to the toilet, News.com.au reported. The mother had only recently got the dog, along with another one she owned. Both dogs were seized and taken to a city council pound after the incident.

Another toddler died from a dog attack in July. According to a report from The New York Post, 17-month-old Marley Wilander of Aurora, Illinois, died at the hospital where she had been taken after the attack. The incident happened when the toddler and her parents were attending a party at a friend's home.

Two pit bull mixes reportedly escaped the basement and attacked the baby who had been put in a playpen in an upstairs room. Upon hearing the commotion, the homeowner rushed upstairs and found the dogs mauling the baby. According to the police, the owner managed to get the animal off the little girl, but the baby had already been covered with bite marks throughout her body.

Although the preliminary autopsy indicated that the baby died from the attack, no charges were filed immediately. Meanwhile, the dog was reportedly turned over to Joliet Township Animal Control.