Clearfield boy recovering after being hurt by neighboring pit bulls

CLEARFIELD – Family members of the boy say he’s recovering nicely.  Animal control officials say he did a very smart thing when he saw the dogs coming after him.  Davis County Animal Care and Control Director Clint Thacker says, “He curled up in a ball and covered his neck and his ears the best he could.”

However, the owners of the pit bulls say it’s frustrating that the dogs have been deemed as dangerous, since the boy hopped over a short fence into their yard without permission.  Thacker says, “We understand that it happened in their backyard.  We understand that the boy should not have gone over that fence.  However, we also have three animals that have aggression issues.”

Thacker says statutes require that any dog be quarantined for ten days after a bite that breaks the skin.  He says the dogs will not be put down, but, they’ll have to stay in a six-sided kennel when in the back yard.  Plus, they’ll have to wear muzzles when they’re taken out for walks.

As for why the dogs went after the boy and not his mother when she jumped into the yard, Thacker couldn’t explain.  But, he says pack mentality is a common occurrence in all breeds of dogs.  He adds, “One time, I was surrounded by a whole bunch of Chihuahuas that were going crazy because pack mentality started and one started nipping at my heels, then all of the sudden, all of them were.

The dog’s owners declined to do a recorded interview.  They say they’re saddened to hear the boy was hurt, but they don’t believe the attack was the dogs’ fault.