Trick-Or-Treater, 3, Mauled By Dog In St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – A 3-year-old child was hospitalized after being attacked by a dog as he trick-or-treated on Halloween night with his parents and friends in an unincorporated area of St. Petersburg, officials said.

Rescue crews responded at 7:42 p.m. to a home on the 10800 block of Shawnee Road and transported the child, who suffered puncture wounds to his head, face and neck, to All Children's Hospital, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said.

Accompanied by his mother, 39, and his father, 34, the boy was going house-to-house with friends when they approached a residence where no one appeared to be home, deputies said.

"Deputies believe (the child) manipulated the door handle and caused the front door of the home to become unsecured," the department said. "A 40 lbs. mix breed dog exited the unsecured front door and attacked ... biting the child in the head, neck and face."

The parents were able to separate the dog from the child and secure the dog back inside the home, deputies said. No one else was injured.

The 34-year-old homeowner arrived home a short time later and told deputies that he left his front door "unlocked but secure," adding that his dog, "Lucy," was properly licensed and up to date on vaccinations.

Witnesses told deputies that several other groups of trick-or-treaters visited the home prior to the attack and the front door was secure, the agency said.

Deputies say the boy's injuries were non-life threatening.

Pinellas County Animal Services will conduct an independent investigation, and deputies do not anticipate any criminal charges in this case, although they added that the investigation is ongoing.

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