Dog Bites 8-Year-Old, Could Be Put to Sleep

An 8-year-old boy was allegedly attacked by a dog while playing catch at Sierra Vista High School in Baldwin Park Monday night, according to authorities.

Two dogs escaped from a nearby home at approximately 6:30 p.m. One dog, a German Shepherd, allegedly attacked Anthony Cardenas as he ran to retrieve the baseball his 13-year old brother had thrown. The other dog, "a small white one, sat there and barked," said Anthony's mother, Cynthia Cardenas.

The dog bit the boy's head, leaving welts and scratches on both sides and puncturing the back of his right ear, requiring him to get two stitches, Cardenas said.

• Related: Dog That Attacked Boy Could Dodge Death Penalty

"I was pulling into the driveway after coming from the market," said Cardenas. "I got a call from my husband saying my son had been bit and to call 911."

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When Cardenas first heard the news, she was shocked.

"He looked OK at first, but was shaken up and crying," Cardenas said.

Because Cardenas lives close to Kaiser Hospital, she drove Anthony there herself while her oldest son and husband held the dogs at the park, she said.  

The fire department and animal control arrived on scene at about 8 p.m. and the owners later signed their dogs over for quarantine, according to the County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC). According to a DACC press release, prior records show no complaints of violence associated with the dogs.

Both dogs will be put in quarantine for up to 10 days, the offending dog will be put to sleep, said Cardenas. Patch did not verify this information with animal control by article publication.

"It wasn't a good situation for anyone," said Cardenas. "The lady had to give up her dogs and she was crying."

Cardenas said that the hospital bills associated with her son's injuries were covered by her insurance.

"If there's no infection and the injuries don't get any worse, I won't press charges against the owner," said Cardenas.

Things could have been a lot worse, said Cardenas. She normally takes Anthony with her to the market and her 4-and-a-half-year-old plays ball at the park.

"If it had been my little one, that dog would have torn him apart," Cardenas said.

Read this article in Spanish