Rural Alaska

Aniak child survives attack by two dogs

This article originally appeared at KYUK.org and is republished here with permission.

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Two dogs attacked a child Feb. 2 in Aniak. The child received medical care in Aniak, and no criminal charges have been filed.

According to Alaska State Troopers, the child was visiting a friend’s house when their loose dog attacked. The troopers said that the dog then dragged the child over to where another dog was tied up, and both dogs bit the child. Troopers confirmed that the child had multiple bite wounds.

Troopers confirmed that the child received medical care in Aniak and was released the same day. A spokesperson for the troopers said that federal privacy laws prevented him from disclosing the child’s age or further medical details.

Trooper spokesperson Austin McDaniel said that the troopers can’t euthanize loose dogs, and that no criminal charges had been filed at the time.

“It’s really important to note that there’s really no state criminal statute that makes it illegal for a dog to bite another person unless a person was to directly give a dog an attack order,” said McDaniel.

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However, McDaniel said, municipalities can make and enforce their own laws about loose dogs.

Interim Aniak Mayor Dave Cannon, who also sits on the KYUK board of directors, told KYUK he could not comment on the attack at this time. He later posted to Facebook saying that the loose dog was “no longer a concern.” He said the city will deal with the other dog at a later date.

Last year, loose dogs in Chevak attacked a 3-year-old, who was flown to Anchorage for treatment. According to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, there were 982 reported dog bites in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta between 2007 and 2017.

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