A Montgomery County child is in critical condition at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson after he was attacked by six dogs while riding his bike Friday afternoon on Sawyer Road.
Sheriff Bubba Nix said deputies were on another call when they were dispatched to Sawyer Road to the incident. He said the child, who has been identified as Aden Green, 12, in various reports, was riding his bike when it is believed that six dogs attacked him.
He said City of Winona Animal Control Officer Arlin Pearson also responded to the scene to assist in catching the dogs.
He said the child was pulled off of the bike by the dogs and into a ditch where he was mauled.
“He said he had to play dead to get the dogs off of him,” Nix said.
Nix said a man and his son were traveling on Sawyer Road when they saw the child’s bike in the road.
He said they saw the dogs coming out the ditch and once they moved away, they saw Green.
Nix said they used hammers and sticks to get the dogs away from the child.
He said the child was airlifted to Jackson where he remains in the hospital. Nix said the dogs were taken to the Winona Veterinarian Hospital where they were euthanized.
He said Green was in front of the dog owner’s home when it happened. Nix was unsure how far the boy lived from the place where he was attacked, but he did live nearby.
He said the owner of the dogs told him had never been aggressive and there won’t be charges filed in the incident because Montgomery County does not have a tethering ordinance. He said it’s something that’s been presented to supervisors.
Nix said test were sent off to the Mississippi Department of Health to test to see if the dogs had rabies, and Nix said the test came back negative.
Nix said Green was in a medically-induced coma and has had several surgeries and will have several more to come. He said Green had to also have skin grafts done.
“His family said that he’s out of the coma now, but they’re keeping him heavily sedated,” Nix said.
He said since the story has gone public, he’s received calls from California of people wanting to help the Green family.
He said if anyone wants to help, they can send cards and donations to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department, and they’ll send them to the family.
Aden is a student at Winona Elementary School.
