California IN BRIEF : FALLBROOK : Boy, 5, Recovering in Pit Bull Attack

A 5-year-old boy mauled by a pit bull was recovering Saturday after surgery to repair painful bite wounds, hospital officials said. Garry Chisholm’s condition was upgraded from serious to fair after the Friday night surgery, said Mark Morelli of Children’s Hospital of San Diego. “This morning, the youngster is awake and well-oriented, but in considerable discomfort,” Morelli said Saturday. He said Garry will remain hospitalized several more days. Authorities said the boy was mauled Friday after he jumped a fence into a neighbor’s back yard where the dog was kept. He suffered multiple scrapes on his arms, back, chest and face and bite wounds to the back of his head and around his right ear. The pit bull’s owner, Gabino De La Torre, found the shaken, bleeding youngster when he and a friend returned home from the beach. The dog was placed in quarantine by the San Diego County Department of Animal Control. Agency officials said they will decide by Monday or Tuesday whether it will be destroyed.