Two unlicensed dogs involved in a Tuesday morning attack that killed a 6-year-old boy and left his caretaker injured have been euthanized, according to the Portland Police Bureau. Multnomah County Animal Services has custody of a third dog found in the home.
When police arrived at the caretaker’s home in the 1800 block of Northeast 112th Avenue in the Parkrose Heights neighborhood they found the boy, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Police determined the injured woman was the owner of the dogs, described as Great Dane-mastiff mixes. The boy they attacked was her friend’s grandson.
The Police Bureau’s child abuse team and its homicide unit are investigating the case. Before Tuesday, Multnomah County Animal Services had received no complaints about dogs at the woman’s address and had no record of dispatching officers there, according to county spokesperson Alicia Mendez. The dogs were not licensed, Mendez said.