Kent Driscoll
Northern News Services

Clyde River (July 11/05) - A two-year-old Clyde River boy is recovering at Baffin Hospital after being attacked by a dog on June 30.

Sandy Kautuq - the boy's uncle - said his nephew, Nelson Kautuq is on the road to recovery.

"He's a tough little boy and I've talked to him on the phone. He couldn't open his eyes because of the swelling, but now he can," he said.

RCMP Cpl. Keith Hendricks, who was off-duty when the attack took place around 6:30 p.m., was one of the first on the scene.

"I happened to be driving by. A person stumbled upon the attack and brought the boy home. I brought him to the nursing station and transported the child, family members and the nurse to the airport," said Hendricks.

The regularly scheduled First Air flight was on the runway and the boy was able to get to Iqaluit right away.

His mother is with him in Iqaluit.

Nelson was bitten repeatedly in the legs and the face, Sandy said. The dog was tied up at the time of the attack.

"The doctors said he was very lucky it didn't get the eyes," Sandy said.

Nelson will be in hospital until July 28, recovering from his wounds and receiving antibiotics for the bites.

"The dog never got a rabies shot or anything. If the dog was older, he might have attacked the neck," said Sandy, who is the assistant senior administrative officer for the hamlet.

In that role, it is his responsibility to deal with the dog, which he described as a white and grey one-year-old "Inuk dog."

Elders' advice

He is following the advice of his elders: the dog will live until the boy is well.

"When an accident like this happens, if the dog was killed right away, something might happen to the boy. That's what we got from the elders. Once he recovers fully, then maybe we can destroy the dog," said Kautuq.

"That decision will have to be made by the owner, but they will have to do something," added Kautuq.

Hendricks said the RCMP aren't conducting an investigation.

"The dog has been quarantined and will likely be destroyed," Hendricks said.

Kautuq says that his family has received a lot of support from their community. He also relayed his sister's appreciation for the support from the hospital staff.