This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A 6-year-old Salt Lake City boy faces weeks of recovery from facial reconstruction surgery after having been attacked and mauled by a pitbull dog.
Salt Lake County Animal Services spokeswoman Sandy Nelson said Friday that she understood the boy had to endure six hours of surgery at Primary Children's Medical Center for injuries sustained when the animal since euthanized attacked him in a west Salt Lake City neighborhood on Wednesday.
The boy, who also suffered bites on his arm and a possible neck injury, reportedly faces weeks more in the hospital.
Nelson said the 1-year-old, unneutered male pitbull was deemed vicious and put down soon after its owner voluntarily surrendered the dog to animal control officers.
The boy's family, which also has pitbull dogs, reportedly had previous clashes with the offending dog's owner involving interaction of their pets.
The boy was playing outside when the dog apparently broke its chain and attacked about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, near 500 South and 1000 West.
On Friday, Nelson said she understood the boy was in good spirits following surgery. "Last I heard, he was playing games on an Xbox in his room at the hospital," she said.
As for the attacking dog's owner, he was cited for the animal's attack. The case has been turned over to the Salt Lake City Police Department and city prosecutors for consideration of further action.
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