Seven-year-old boy sent to hospital after being attacked by dogs in Pontotoc Co.

A boy in Pontotoc County is recovering from injuries after being attacked by two dogs on Wednesday.

The boy's mother, Roxanne Thompson, said it was on County Road 1500, northwest of Ada, where her 7-year-old son, Caden, was walking home from school when he was attacked by dogs.

Thompson said she was at work when she got a phone call from her daughter saying Caden had been attacked.

"I imagined, I imagined death when I got the phone call," Thompson said. "She couldn't tell me what was wrong, just that the dogs got Caden. 'It was bad, Mom. There was blood everywhere'."

Caden was sent to the hospital with cuts and bites all over his body, requiring 15 staples in his scalp and 15 stitches on the other wounds on his legs and arms.

There are several dogs at the house. Sheriff John Christian said one of the dogs attacked someone last month. That dog was quarantined for 10 days at the county health department and returned.

On Wednesday, when Caden was attacked, two dogs were involved.

One of those had been euthanized at the owner's request. The other has been returned to the owner.

"Right now we're in the process, or have been in the process of trying to determine if these dogs that attacked this young man are the same that attacked previously," Christian said.

Christian said the dog's owner could face criminal charges if the dog was the same in both situations, but the descriptions of the dogs do not match.

Thompson said she would like to see the dogs' owner receive a larger penalty.

"I want something to change and I'm going to take every step to change that," Thompson said.

Christian said a court order could be made to have the dog euthanized.

According to Oklahoma law, the dog owner is held liable for any of Caden's medical expenses.

However, his mother is not worried about his physical injuries as much as what the attack has done to his mind.

"He's scared to play outside by himself," Thompson said. "He's terrified. My son is going to need counseling. My three children who saw him get attacked. I think they probably need a few sessions to make sure they're ok." (Thompson)

If the owners are criminally charged, they could face up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.