Judge Spares the Life of Dog That Injured Boy
A Yorba Linda family’s all-out legal battle to save their dog named Boo ended in victory Thursday as a judge barred animal control from destroying the bull mastiff, impounded after attacking a 7-year-old boy.
The dog’s owner, Stephen Williams, put his house up for sale and ran up $10,000 in legal costs to save the animal.
But before Boo can leave the county shelter, Superior Court Judge Tully H. Seymour said, county animal officials must come up with a plan to control the 140-pound animal. He suggested finding ways to restrain the dog in the backyard and having both the animal and its owners undergo training.
The attack last Dec. 26 at Williams’ Yorba Linda home left Zach Anderson with scrapes and punctures over 40% of his back and with head wounds requiring 60 stitches and 30 staples.
Zach Anderson Sr., the boy’s father, said he was disappointed by the judge’s decision.
“We can’t understand how anybody would want to keep a dog that is capable of attacking like that,” said Anderson, who still has a pending personal injury lawsuit against the Williams family.
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