A boy mauled by a support dog at Sanctuary Point Public School, New South Wales
A little boy had scratches on his face after he was mauled by his school’s support dog as he tried to hug him.
Six-year-old Blade Fraser was attacked by support dog Buddy at Sanctuary Point Public School on the New South Wales south coast on August 22.
His mother, Kellie Kuczynski, said Buddy was being leashed by the school principal when Blade approached and asked if it was okay to cuddle the puppy.
However, when he leaned down to squeeze the dog’s neck, Buddy turned around and bit Blade’s face, causing him several severe cuts.
Ms Kuczynski received a phone call from the school moments later and, along with Blade’s grandmother, rushed to retrieve the distressed six-year-old.
Blade Fraser (above) was bitten in the face by his school’s support dog as he leaned in to give him a hug
Blade was first taken to a medical center, but was redirected to the emergency department at Shoalhaven Hospital.
“He looked very white, very pale, like he didn’t know what was going on,” she told the ABC Friday.
“He had blood all over the collar of his shirt.”
Advice was offered to Blade, a great animal lover, as well as his family and any witnesses to the attack.
Ms Kuczynski claims the dog was running off-leash when she picked up Blade.
Support dog Buddy (above) has since been removed from the school. The dog had been emotionally supporting students since 2019
A Department of Education spokesperson has since confirmed that the dog has been permanently removed from the school.
SafeWork NSW and Shoalhaven Town Council were involved in the investigation into the attack and found Buddy had been attending classes with pupils at the school since 2019.
The local council said Buddy was not considered a ‘dangerous dog’ and no further incidents with the dog had been reported.
The labradoodle was trained as a “support dog” and provided emotional support and companionship to the students.
In accordance with New South Wales Department guidelines, service dogs must be with their handlers at all times and do not need formal accreditation to be on school grounds.
The dogs undergo specialist professional training and are checked annually by a qualified dog trainer.
