LIVERMORE FALLS — Police say an 11-year-old New York boy was severely mauled by a pit bull Tuesday while he was visiting family friends on Globe Street, located off Souther Road. It is the second attack by the dog this month, Livermore Falls police officer Vern Stevens said.
The boy was attacked Tuesday on both legs in the ankle area and abdomen, Stevens said.
“There was massive blood loss,” he said.
A 12-year-old Livermore Falls girl at the residence was babysitting the boy and her two siblings, 7 and 3 months, when the attack occurred, Stevens said. The girl’s mother was out of town.
When Stevens arrived on the scene four minutes after the 12-year-old’s call to 911 at 11:41 a.m., reporting the mauling, a neighbor was holding the dog at bay with a pole lamp in the hallway of the residence, Stevens said.
Two more neighbors were tending the boy who was on the floor near the front door, he said.
“I had the neighbors get the boy out of the house and at that point, the person who was holding the dog at bay and myself started to back out of the residence and the dog started to lunge,” Stevens said. “I Tased him and it immobilized the dog enough so we could get out of the residence and the secure it with the dog inside.”
Animal Control Officer Wayne Atwood was called and is handling everything to do with the 1-year-old male pit bull, Stevens said. He was not available for immediate comment.
A NorthStar Emergency Medical Services ambulance out of Farmington had to shift down to Livermore Falls and arrived on the scene about 14 minutes after the call due to the Livermore-based ambulance was on a chest pain call in that town, Stevens said.
The boy was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.
Medical personnel tried to get LifeFlight Inc. of Maine but they couldn’t fly because of the weather, Stevens said.
The boy was in stable condition and in the operating room at 1:45 p.m., Stevens said.
The same dog attacked a family member at the residence, a teenager, on March 2. The teen was bitten in the face and arm and was also transported to CMMC, he said.
Stevens said he contacted Maine Department of Health and Human Services child protective agency to let them know what went on.
Police are conducting an investigation into the mauling, Lt. Thomas Gould said.
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Wow.
Yeah people do judge people everyday, but for all of you who sit on your damn computer to judge everyone else on their life, what kind of person are you? What really is going on in your life? Must be pretty lonely if you have to post comments on here!!! Like i said before you will never know this Mother so your opinion does not matter. FOR the people who want to talk about facts, Her kids are 14,12,7,4,3months. Who are you to tell anyone that someone isn't suppose to be babysitting. Those are her kids. If Shewas to trust anyone it would be her own son or daughter with their brother and sisters. You people really need to get a life. And for all you people who are saying she needs to lose her kids. If every mother made a mistake, the state would have everyone's kids. LIVE YOUR OWN LIFE. You have no clue about this situation!
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I couldnt agree with you more. The fact that the "heroes" in this story are now trying to physically attack this woman with her children present speaks volumes to me. Leave her alone and let her and her children cope with what has happened. None of this was intentional and I cannot imagine what this woman and her children are going through right now.
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Just so everyone is aware there was school on Monday! the 11 year old was kept home from school to babysit so the mother could go get a tatoo! From what i hear anyways! Where are her priorities here? The dog should of been put down the first time it attacked her son. I agree a 11 year old should not have been babysitting that many kids, and should of been in school. Also where was the parents of this boy who got attacked? (Just wondering) There are many mistakes that were mad this day and if people got their priorities straight then maybe it would of never happend! pretty sure out of town was either brunswick or bangor, i know it started with a B!
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listen for all the people saying omg a 12 year old babysitting that many kids ! stop being so stupid , when i was 12 back in the 80's i used to babysit 3 little kids under 5 on week ends 1 was a 6 month old baby , and i was a dam good babysitter , it was a friend of my parents get out on weekends babysitting job . you know haveing an 11 year old there too was obviously to help the 12 year old out . and dog attacks are random things that dog may have never attacked anyone again , just because its a dam pit bull in a trailor park whoopi ding dong , ive seen a few pit bulls and they are sweet , its all in how they are raised , and sometimes dogs just think they are playing . nobody should judge this mother or the dog !
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12 is old enough to babysit one or two children, but not a houseful of pre-schoolers. And nobody should have a vicious dog with kids.
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People judge things everyday including other people.
to judge is defined as the process of forming an opinion or evaluation by discerning and comparing.
It's only common sense that young children not be left to the care of other children esp while the mother is out of town. Anything can happen as this account clearly underscores.
So get over the 'don't judge others' crap. I bet you 'form an opinion or evaluation' of people who would care for your own children. That is if you have any.
If you don't, and would let just anyone watch your kids you're just as bad as this neglectful mother.
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Clearly the dog doesn't like children! Maybe the child did something to the dog it didn't like!!!?!! Why should you kill an animal (key word, "animal" -- who doesn't really know any better) for doing something possibly instinctive? That's just cruel.
I also think the owners of the animal/the parents of the child could have done something to prevent it from happening. Anyone with intellengence should realize that most animals don't attack unless for a reason!!!!!!!
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"maybe the child did something to the dog it didn't like" ??? A dog who is not vicious might nip or try to get away, not tear the boy apart resulting in massive blood loss. Pit bulls are a big ol' white trash middle-finger to the world, and doesn't belong near children.
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No call to badmouth white people. This is clearly a case of another democrat disguised as a dog.
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Maybe it belongs in an adult-only community?
Perhaps the ones who fed these children to it?
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Maybe it belongs in an adult-only community?
Perhaps the ones who fed these children to it?
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I was called by my daughter- in- law( one of the neighbors who responded to help this little boy), she was so upset by what she witnessed...a horrifying ordeal that could have been prevented! First the dog has no business being in a trailer park, nor a home where there are children, especially considering he had already had a violent attack against a child. Second and most importantly these children were left unattended by a parent, what possesses a parent to leave their children as well as someone else's in the care of an 11 year old! Yeah, the sitter was 11, not 12 and there were a 4,5,7, year old and a 3 month old in the home under care of an 11 year old. This kind of negligence is unacceptable, DHS definitely needs to be looking into this abuse. In this kind of an emergency even an adult would have a difficult time knowing how to handle the situation, let alone a child. I cannot even imagine the horrendous pain and suffering this little boy has had to endure, and the 4, 5, and 11 years old children watched this terror.Speaking with my adult daughter in law, and the other neighbors who responded so quickly...they are having a hard time getting these images out of their minds,I pray that this little boy recovers and is able to be a normal boy, I pray that the other children will recover from the emotional and mental scars of this tragedy, and I PRAY that the parent is punished for her neglect!
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DHS wont do a thing.
They can blame the budget or short staffing, or numerous other excuses;
but it is evident that they are nearly useless in this state.
Our children are on their own in this state..
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Note to police officer: next time use your pistol and take out the "problem" I can't think of a better time to use excessive force! Defenseless child v.s. brutal dog kill the dog!
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For all of you who have the time to judge everyone else on their life, Look at your own. You Don't know this person, nor will you ever. So go on about your own business and Stop trying to make this family out to be a piece of dirt on the ground. You will have your time in your life when somthing major will happen and I guarantee you will not want anyone judging you.
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What can possible be so important that you leave a 3 month old baby with a 11-12 year old sitter. NEVER! This dog could have destroyed several children and you are defending the mother for this foolish episode. I am glad my children will never depend on your thinking.
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This was a tragic accident and the pit bull owner should be held responsible! But I want to remind everyone that it's not the breeds fault! I was attacked by a black lab when i was 2 1/2 years old (the all american family dog??). I have 5 scars on my face and scalp. Any dog can bite for any reason! Responsible dog ownership and training is a MUST!! Also breeders need to be more responsible!!
I just hope that this boy doesn't dislike dogs because of this incident. Dogs are great companions and wonderful friends.
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These dogs should be outlawed..period!!! I know someone will jump on me for this statement...but that's fine. I have read so many stories about pitbulls attacking and mauling people, it's crazy.
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Blue Eyes, maybe if enough people brought cases against pit bulls to the legislators something might get done! I agree with you. We had neighbors who had several pit bulls and trust me, their dogs would chase my husband up our driveway when he'd get home from work, chased one of my kids around the block and mauled her...teeth went through the winter jacket and had to go to the hospital not to mention them being in my yard where I wouldn't dare to leave the house. The leash law didn't stop these dogs from being where they wasn't suppose to be...
Granted this dog was in the owners house....look at what happened! These dogs do need to be outlawed plan and simple.
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It is incidents like these that cause towns to enact ordinances restricting such dogs. I believe that a dog owner should be held responsible for their dog and all damages caused by the dog. Any dog that attacks this aggressively should be put down, no questions.
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What was the mother thinking leaving a twelve year old babysitting so many children while out of town??? I wish the little boy a speedy recovery...I hope he wasn't teasing the puppy to cause this...
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A 12 year old babysitting an 11 year old, plus her 7 year old and 3 month old siblings! What were the parents thinking? Furthermore, for the dog to only be a year old... the mauling doesn't sound like pupply play to me.
Know wonder kids aren't learning what they need to be learning in school... they are too busy at home doing the parents job.
Just curious...where was the 7 year old and the 3 month old while the 11 year old was being attacked and the older teen trying to tend him?
Thank goodness the 12 year old knew to dial 911 (I happened to hear it on the scanner and actually felt afraid for the girl and boy, hearing the background noise). The 12 year old should be "rewarded" for doing her best in a situation that she had to deal with.
Give a round of applause to the neighbors, too! It's not too often you hear of neighbors helping out. We need more neighbors willing to stick their neck out in emergencies....
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kill the dog.... and arrest the owner..some people think they have to tough....b y owning a fighting breed
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A 12 year old is babysitting someone one year younger than her and a newborn baby?!!! I hope this is a very mature 12 year old, 3 month old babies are very demanding and need to be fed, changed, and burped regularly and that is a common age for colic. Hopefully by out of town the mother wasn't too far away for too long, but if this is the same person who owns dog that is biting everyone she certainly doesn't sound very responsible. I hate to be judgemental and I don't know what kind of situation caused the need for these children to be out of school without a responsible adult around but this mother probably needs to concern herself more with her children and pets than whatever she was doing out of town.
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Why is that dog even still alive? It should have been put down after the first incident. Can you say LAWSUIT?
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12 year old, 7 year old & visiting 11 year old...none we re in school....and the second dog attack by the same dog in a month, this case needs to be escalated.
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...why weren't the school aged children in school rather than being babysat while the mother was "out of town" (out of town like in Jay or out of town like in another state ?). Kudos to the 12 year-old for getting help right away. Way too much responsibility on her young shoulders.
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