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Pit Bull With History Of Aggression Put Down After Biting Riverside County Boy In Face

Jurupa Valley (CBSLA.com) — An aggressive pit bull has been put to sleep after it bit an 8-year-old Riverside boy in the face, but this was not the first time it had attacked.

Matthew Espinoza once fell victim to the 6-year-old dog himself. When the someone opened the door of the house, "I just saw the pit bull lunge out at me, and he bit my stomach. I almost cried," the young boy told CBS2 News.

Matthew says he did not seek medical attention but that his mother did complain to the owners. "She complained, and then they came to our house to show us the rabies shot—that it didn't have rabies. It was all done after that."

Except, it wasn't. The dog bit a neighbor last month, causing the person nerve damage. This attack was reported to Riverside County Animal Services, who responded with a "potentially dangerous" category restraining order.

A hearing on the case was scheduled for next week, but given the most recent incident with the small boy, the dog's owner decided to surrender it to be euthanized.

Matthew told CBS2 he doesn't like to hear about dogs being put down, but he admits it is for the better.

"I like 'em. I don't like the cops putting them to sleep, but at the same time, nobody's going to be hurt anymore."

The 8-year-old was being treated for bites near his eyes and mouth.

(©2017 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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