A three-year-old boy has been killed by a dog in the Umuogodo community, Igbo Etche in the Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State.
A veterinary doctor, Desmond Ezekiel, who takes care of the dogs, told reporters that the three-year-old was attacked after his parents left for work on Monday.
The eldest daughter, according to Ezekiel, had released the dogs from their cage for security while their parents were away, but the dog turned around to attack the boy and his sister.
He said he was notified by neighbours of the victims of the attack, he then put a call across to the parents of the children.
“So, I got a call from another of my customer close to this particular customer of mine.
“They said there is an incident, your customer’s dog is attacking his son, I think the boy is dead.
“Immediately, I had to call the man. He said they left home early; they were on their way rushing back to the house to confirm the situation.
“So, I had to end the call. I went to his house to find out what was going on. The female dog first of all attacked the boy by the neck, then, the buabu then came in support. It was now a combined effort.
“One was attacking by the leg, the other was attacking by the neck. So, the little sister who is 7 years was trying to save her brother, saying, “leave my brother alone, leave my brother alone”, and the other dog started lynching the sister.
“But, thank God she survived it and she’s undergoing medical treatment.” He added.
Ezekiel advised dog owners to always consult vet doctors when they notice behavioural changes in their dogs.
He said people should never leave their dogs unsupervised, especially when children are around, as animals cannot be trusted completely.
He added, “As a dog trainer and handler, I always advise people, if you have a dog, when the dog is eating, if you cannot retrieve that bone from that dog’s mouth, then you don’t need to keep such a dog.
“Your dogs are supposed to be well trained so they can be under your full control.”