Pit Bull Put Down

The pit bull that attacked an 11-year-old boy was put down by a veterinarian this afternoon, authorities said.

The 1-year-old blue-nosed pit, aptly named Blue, was euthanized at Animal Control headquarters in Silver Sands State Park this afternoon by a visiting veterinarian, Officer Rick George said.

"Blue was put down," George said in a somber voice.

Authorities had determined that the dog was unable to be rehabilitated because the September attack was unprovoked.

William Packer, 11, was playing ball with his sister on Overlook Drive when the dog got loose and jumped on the boy, biting his buttocks and elbow.

"This was a mauling," the boy's aunt, Susan Fontana, a retired New York City police officer who rescued her nephew from the jaws of the 65-pound dog, told the Board of Aldermen in an appeal to keep Blue from returning to the neighborhood.

Once the boy got free, the crazed canine turned on Fontana, a dog lover and owner. Blue bit her thumb and wrist, causing nerve damage.

The remorseful dog owner, Laura Hayes, has said although she'll miss Blue, she harbors no ill will toward her neighbors.

"What would you do?" she has said.