3-year-old attacked by dog, hospitalized in Tulare County

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- At around 9:30 Wednesday morning, Tulare County Sheriff's deputies received a call about a dog bite on Avenue 208, northeast of Strathmore.

While en route, they were told the victim was being brought to Sierra View Medical Center in Porterville.

"When they got there, they discovered that there was a three-year-old child suffering from multiple lacerations to the top of his head and his face," Lt. Larry Camacho said.

The boy was then transferred to Valley Children's Hospital for further treatment.

Lt. Larry Camacho says he's expected to recover from his injuries.

The investigation into the unnerving incident is still ongoing, but based on what family members have told deputies so far, the boy was playing alone outside when he was attacked by a dog that looked like a German Shepherd.

The boy's mother was inside cooking at the time.

"According to the information we're being told at this time, it was not their dog," Camacho said. "We were told that they had never seen the dog before."

According to Camacho, it's unclear if the boy was playing in the front or backyard of the home.

The backyard has a fence, but it's not completely enclosed.

Deputies searched the surrounding area for the dog, but didn't find one matching the description given by the family.

"We have requested assistance from the animal control department, so they're out here as well," Camacho told Action News on Wednesday afternoon. "We did locate a dog on the property but it doesn't appear that it's the dog that they described initially."

Deputies left the home at around 4:30 on Wednesday afternoon.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect updated information from law enforcement that the injured child was 3 years old.