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“Truth be told it could have been worse, it could have been an eye, it could have been his throat … lucky enough I was right next to him so I could instantly grab the dog,” said Lefebvre-Bergeron, adding that she was covered in blood as she struggled to apply pressure to her son’s wounds. “It was absolutely awful.”

Lefebvre-Bergeron said that while she and her husband, Mathieu Giroux, took Hugo and their older son to the hospital, police attended the scene and seized the dog.

Gatineau police said Saturday night an investigation was underway to see if there was negligence by the owner, which could make it a criminal case.

Photo by Photo submitted / .

Lefebvre-Bergeron said she had never seen the dog in the neighbourhood before. She said police told her a nearby neighbour had been taking care of the dog. After the incident Friday, she said, the dog was taken to the Gatineau SPCA.

“From what I understand, it hasn’t been decided yet if (the dog) is going to be put down. I know they are supposed to run tests (on the dog) but they took him away.”

Police confirmed Saturday night that the dog is a pit bull and that it remained at the SPCA, but said they did not know what would happen to the dog in the future.

No one from the Gatineau SPCA was available to comment on the incident Saturday evening.

When contacted by this newspaper, a spokesperson from the City of Gatineau referred questions to the police.

“People need to be aware of this because it’s unacceptable,” Lefebvre-Bergeron said. “What’s worse is (the dog) came absolutely out of the blue. (Hugo) was not playing with the dog, he wasn’t even paying attention to him, he ran straight out of the blue, ran straight to the stroller and attacked instantly.”