A three-year-old boy has been mauled to death by a dog in Umuogodo community, Igbo Etche, Etche Local Government Area, Rivers State.

Desmond Ezekiel, a veterinarian who looks after the dogs said that the three-year-old was severely attacked on Monday after his parents had gone to work.

According to Ezekiel, the oldest daughter had let the dogs out of their cage for safety while their parents were gone, but the dog turned around and attacked the child and his sister.

Ezekiel said he also got a call from a client who is closer to the owner of the dogs, who also confirmed the incident.

He said that after learning of the attack from neighbours, he called the children’s parents to inform them of the incident.

Further narrating the incident, the vet doctor said, “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 boerboel 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.

However, he noted that the sister made it through and is now receiving medical care.

Sounding a note of warning, Ezekiel said dog owners should always see veterinarians when they notice behaviour changes in their dogs.

As a dog trainer and handler, he said he usually tells people that if they have a dog and they cannot get the bone out of its mouth when it’s eating, they should not have that dog.

“Your dogs should be properly trained to allow you to have complete control over them,” he said.