Violent attack in Haute-Saône.
A Malinois dog attacked a 36-year-old mother and her two young children late Thursday afternoon in Vregille, a small town of 200 inhabitants in the department,
Le Figaro
learned from a police source this Friday, March 1. , confirming information from France 3.
The mother was seriously injured.
One of the children, aged 5, was treated by emergency services for several bites, notably to the calf, forearm and back.
He also had his right ear torn off and his left ear was bitten off.
The second child was unharmed.
The two victims were hospitalized in Besançon and a gendarmerie investigation was opened.
“It’s like he’s lost his mind.”
For the moment, the circumstances of the tragedy are unclear.
The only certainty: the dog died of cardiac arrest an hour after the incident.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen this,”
commented Michaël Hentzien, commander of the Vesoul gendarmerie company, to France 3
.
These are truly exceptional circumstances.
The two ladies were chatting quietly when suddenly, the Malinois bit the child for an undetermined reason.
The mother defended her son.
Then the dog died immediately.
It’s a bit like he’s lost his mind
. ”
According to the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service in Vesoul, contacted by AFP, the dog's owner spontaneously presented herself to the authorities during the rescue operations.
According to the police, this woman had taken her two Malinois dogs out without keeping them on a leash.
The victims are his neighbors.
The Malinois, a Belgian Shepherd breed, is known for its defensive qualities and is commonly used by law enforcement.
In 2020, a two-year-old girl was fatally injured by a Malinois in Charente-Maritime.