PORT RICHEY — A Rottweiler mix named AJ who badly bit a 4-year-old boy Sunday afternoon will be held in quarantine for the next 10 days to check for rabies, Pasco County officials said Monday.
Jasper Debow Richman was airlifted in serious condition to St. Joseph Hospital in Tampa on Sunday after the dog bit him on the back of the neck around 4 p.m., authorities said. The dog belongs to the boy's grandmother and her boyfriend, according to police.
The incident occurred at 9136 Suffolk Lane in Port Richey, where the boy's grandmother, Cindy Hice, lives with her boyfriend, sheriff's office spokesman Kevin Doll said.
Hice used a shovel to hit the dog repeatedly until it let go of her grandson. Pasco County Animal Services took custody of the dog.