A 3-year-old boy was injured yesterday evening after being bitten by a dog in West Philadelphia, according to local authorities. The child was leaving a corner store on the unit block of North 57th Street shortly before 6 p.m. when the incident occurred. 6abc reports that multiple 911 calls were made about a dog attacking a child.
Officers arriving at the scene found the young boy with several bites along his arm. The injured boy and his mother were promptly transported to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where, he's now listed in stable condition, as per the same source. The dog involved in the incident was left unattended and unrestrained with no leash, no fence, or gate to contain it.
FOX29 further detailed that animal control officers took the dog into custody following the incident. It remains unclear who the owner of the dog is, or what prompted the attack on the toddler as he walked with his mother in their neighborhood.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing, and neither reports from 6abc nor FOX29 provided information regarding potential charges or consequences for the dog's owner at the time of writing. The community has expressed concern over the presence of unrestrained animals and, the safety of pedestrians especially children in the wake of this unfortunate event.
