Settlement Reached After Police Dog Mauls Needham Boy

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The City of Newton and the family of a Needham boy attacked by the department’s police dog last year have reached a $125,000 settlement, officials recently announced.

In the dog attack, which occurred in Needham, the boy suffered wounds to his upper-body area. The boy has since recovered from his injuries, one Newton official confirmed, but remains emotionally traumatized.

“No one meant for it to happen, but you have to do what you can to make it right,” Newton City Solicitor Donnalyn B. Lynch Kahn told The Boston Globe.

Newton’s K-9 unit was shut down following the attack in 2014. The dog that attacked the boy had undergone extensive training and joined the Newton Police Force from Croatia in 2011, officials confirmed.

A Newton officer had taken the dog home one evening following a shift, as part of department protocol, when the K-9 got loose from the officer’s yard.

The dog entered the backseat of nearby a van and attacked the boy. The child’s mother intervened, ultimately forcing the dog to stop.

The City of Newton and the child’s family agreed on the settlement last month.