A St. Catharines dad is outraged and frustrated with the system after his son was attacked by a dog this week.
47 year old Colin Bowden tells CKTB his 10 year old son was attacked in the Eastchester and Oakdale area by Cenntennial Park on the evening of Tuesday June 20th.
10 year old Phillip was playing with friends and looking for salamanders when he was attacked by a husky.
Witnesses say the husky was not on a leash at the time and even attacked its owner before attacking the boy.
Friends used a cell phone to call Phillip's family and 9-1-1 was also called.
Police, and EMS arrived on the scene and transported the boy to the hospital.
Bowden is thankful that a good samaritan protected Phillip by laying on top and protecting him from the dog.
Phillip received treatment for bite marks to his arm, and inner thighs.
He received over 30 stitches, hundreds of needles, and possible nerve damage.
Bowden says he was told by an NRP officer that this was the worst dog attack he's seen in over 20 years.
Phillip was released from hospital and will be at home recovering for days and possibly weeks.
His dad is worried about nerve damage to his arm.
The dog is now in quarantine for 10 days.
Bowden has been told that police will not be laying charges because it's a civil matter.
He says he is frustrated because the responsibility is on him to file paperwork to deem the dog dangerous.
Bowden is wondering why the Lincoln County Humane Society is not doing more.
LCHS Executive Director Kevin Strooband spoke with CKTB's Lee Sterry and called the event tragic.
He says he would hate to see anybody, let alone a 10 year old boy go through this.
Strooband says from an investigative point of view they will not take this lightly, and will do whatever is necessary.
Charges have been laid, two counts under the St. Catharines bylaw.
Under the Dog Owners Liability Act, the court can order that the dog be better secured, muzzled, etc.
Strooband says it is up to Bowden's family to get the dog declared dangerous.
When it comes to Phillip's recovery, Bowden doesn't think he will be returning to school this year.
Bowden says it's heartbreaking watching his son relive the attack, have night terrors, not to mention the awful physical pain he has endured.