The family of a 13-year-old boy says he was mutilated by a dog that was recently released by animal services in Vaughan, Ontario.
Muhammad Almutaz Alzghool now has significant scars on his face.
On November 5, he was finishing up at Black Belt World, the taekwondo studio he goes to. He has been training in the sport for nine years.
The teenager and his father told Global News that there was a dog at the downtown Toronto facility that belongs to the owner. Muhammad said he was approached by his instructor.
“He asked me if I’m afraid of dogs, so I said, ‘Yes,'” he recalled. “He told me to get over my fear and get closer to the dog if I want to be a national taekwondo champion.”
He said he felt pressured and wanted to show that he could accomplish that feat.
“I approached the dog and looked at him. I look at it and it jumped in my face and bit it. “
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The boy’s father, who was waiting for him in the study, said he heard his scream and ran in his direction.
Black Belt World, the club they were in, is owned by Tommy Chang, the owner of Blu (aka ‘Dwaeji’).
The one-year-old American bulldog made headlines recently after being detained by Vaughan Animal Services, and was detained for nearly a month on suspicion that it was part pit bull, which is a prohibited breed in Ontario.
“I just ran into the locker room to see what was going on there. So when I saw his face bleeding and all the blood… I was so terrified, ”Muath Alzghool said during an interview with Global News.
Muhammad Almutaz Alzghool has been practicing taekwondo since he was four years old.
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He said that since he made his story public, they have received a shower of responses, but not all have been positive.
A Facebook poster wrote: “These dogs should not be banned and this dog should not be euthanized. Your son should be euthanized! “
Muath said he wanted to reiterate that his family, while afraid of dogs, is not against them or their owners.
Now he is calling for a regulation that prevents dogs from being present in facilities where children train.
An attorney for Tommy Chang declined to comment on the details of the incident when contacted, saying he was being investigated by Toronto police.
He added that his client will continue to cooperate fully.
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When contacted for information on the investigation, a Toronto police spokesman said by email that they had an “incident report on file of an animal bite” and directed Global News to contact the services of animals for more details.
Vaughan Animal Services said that although they received a report on the alleged incident, they were unable to comment further due to the active police investigation.
When pressed for details, they said “they are not in possession of the dog.”
Meanwhile, Muhammad has not yet returned to school and said he has nightmares about the dog.
“I don’t want to see any dogs because I am terrified that this will happen again.”
Your next medical appointment is scheduled for the end of this week.
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Reference-globalnews.ca