a 7-year-old child killed in Belgium by a pack from family breeding

A 7-year-old child was attacked for an unexplained reason by purebred dogs cared for by his family, who run a breeder. The child was seriously injured and did not survive.

A 7-year-old child was attacked and fatally injured on Thursday January 9 by several dogs from a breeding farm managed by his family, in Quévy in the south of Belgium, the Mons prosecutor’s office said on Friday January 10.

The child “died following an attack by dogs” belonging to “the family”, declared a spokesperson for the prosecution contacted by Agence France-presse (AFP) without further details on the context of the drama.

Five dogs pounce on the child

According to RTBF radio and television, the accident occurred when the child’s mother was with the child feeding a pack of Alaskan Malamute dogs.

For an unexplained reason at this stage, five dogs rushed at the child. The mother tried to intervene, but the child was already seriously injured by the time she managed to free him.

The mother gave first aid to her son, without success. The emergency services could only note the death of the young boy, further specifies the Belgian media.

An open investigation

An investigation was opened for manslaughter and a psychological unit set up to help the family, again according to the French-speaking public channel.

The farm is located in Goegnies-Chaussée, a village in the commune of Quévy located on the French border, between Mons, in Belgium, and Maubeuge, in the Nord department in France.