5-year-old seriously mauled by family’s three Great Danes in Weeki Wachee
Hernando County deputies said a 5-year-old boy suffered life-threatening head, neck and body injuries in a July 11, 2025 backyard attack by the family’s three Great Danes.
Incident summary
The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said a 5-year-old boy was attacked in his family’s Weeki Wachee backyard by the family’s three Great Danes at about 7:46 p.m. on July 11. An off-duty reserve deputy who is also a paramedic provided lifesaving aid after the child’s mother brought the bleeding child to him. The boy was airlifted to a Tampa trauma center with life-threatening injuries and was later reported walking and beginning rehabilitation.
The reviewed Sheriff’s Office and local reporting describe animal-control removal and a 10-day quarantine for all three dogs. BiteDB did not locate a criminal charge or citation tied to the family in the reviewed sources for this update and does not infer one.
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Primary record used by BiteDB
The Sheriff’s Office media release says the child was bleeding profusely from the head, neck and body when his mother approached off-duty Reserve Deputy Stephen Murphy. The mother said her 5-year-old had been in the backyard with his 6-year-old brother when she heard screaming and saw the family’s three Great Danes pulling at the younger child. All three dogs were removed by animal control and placed in a 10-day quarantine.
Open original source ↗Additional sources
- Tampa Bay 28 — Hernando County child recovering after being attacked by family’s dogs — Independent local reporting / Sheriff’s Office corroboration · 2025-07-17
- FOX 13 Tampa Bay — 5-year-old injured in horrific attack by family’s three Great Danes — Independent local reporting / animal-control quarantine context · 2025-07-17
What BiteDB does not infer
Breed is recorded only at the provenance level shown above. Missing injury details, dog history, ownership facts or circumstances remain unknown unless a reliable source establishes them. This record may be updated as police, animal-control, medical, court or follow-up reporting becomes available.