Boy mauled by support dog at Sanctuary Point Public School, NSW
Boy mauled by service dog at Sanctuary Point Public School, NSW
A little boy suffered facial scratches after he was beaten by his school’s service dog when he tried to hug him.
Blade Fraser, six, was attacked on August 22 by service dog Buddy at Sanctuary Point Public School, on the south coast of New South Wales.
His mother, Kellie Kuczynski, said Buddy was on a leash and being held by the school principal when Blade approached and asked if it was okay to hug the pup.
However, as he bent down to hug the dog’s neck, Buddy turned and bit Blade’s face, causing several serious lacerations.
Ms. Kuczynski received a call from the school moments later and, along with Blade’s grandmother, hurried to pick up the ailing six-year-old.
Blade Fraser (above) was bitten on the face by his school’s service dog when he bent down to hug him
Blade was initially taken to a medical center but was referred to the emergency department at Shoalhaven Hospital.
“He looked very pale, very pale, like he didn’t know what was going on,” she told police ABC on Friday.
“There was blood on the collar of his shirt.”
Help has been offered to Blade, a huge animal lover, along with his family and any witnesses to the attack.
Ms. Kuczynski claims the dog was running around without a leash when she picked up Blade.
Assistance dog Buddy (above) has since been removed from the school. The dog has been emotionally supporting students since 2019
A spokesman for the Ministry of Education has since confirmed that the dog has been permanently removed from the school.
SafeWork NSW and Shoalhaven City Council have been involved in the investigation into the attack and found that Buddy had been taking classes with students at the school since 2019.
The council said Buddy was not considered a “dangerous dog” and no other incidents involving the dog had been reported.
The labradoodle was trained as a ‘support dog’, providing emotional support and companionship to the students.
Under NSW Department guidelines, assistance dogs must be with their handler at all times and do not need formal accreditation to be on school grounds.
Instead, the dogs undergo specialized professional training and an annual checkup by a qualified dog trainer.