A 4-year-old Texas boy was fatally mauled in his backyard on Sunday after possibly getting “too close” to his family’s dog, officials say.

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A 4-year-old Texas boy was fatally mauled in his backyard on Sunday after possibly getting “too close” to his family’s dog, officials say.

The animal, described only as a “mixed large breed,” was tied up when it attacked the child, Noah Trevino, according to local TV station KSAT.

“It appears that the child may have gotten too close to the dog,” the Bexar County Sheriff said, KSAT reports.

“A family member went to check on him in the [backyard] and saw the dog biting the neck area of the child who was laying on the ground,” Johnny C. Garcia, a

spokesman for the sheriff’s office, tells PEOPLE in a statement. “The child was freed from the dog by the family member who took the child inside.”

Noah was airlifted to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries, Garcia says. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

According to KSAT, Sheriff Salazar said that children should not be left alone with dogs — even a family’s dog.

“Even if the dog doesn’t show any outward signs of aggression, sometimes they can be unpredictable,” he said. “So it’s best to always be vigilant when

you’re dealing with a small child and a dog like that.”

The county’s animal control unit took the dog, Garcia tells PEOPLE. It is expected to be held for observation and tested for rabies before being euthanized,

according to KSAT.

Garcia says Bexar County deputies are continuing to investigate.

周日，一名四岁的德州男孩可能是由于靠自家狗太近，在自家后院遭到严重攻击。
这只狗，只知道是一直大型杂交犬，攻击男孩的时候有被栓起，根据当地电视台的消息，这名孩子叫做Noah Trevino

在KSAT的报道里当地警方称“很明显是孩子太靠近狗了”

当地警局发言人称，家人看到孩子时，孩子躺在地上，狗正在撕咬他的颈部。之后家人将他从狗嘴中解救出来带进屋里。

由于伤情致命，孩子被空运送到附近医院，随后在医院宣告死亡

警官Salazar表示，孩子不应该和狗单独相处，即使是家养狗。

就算狗没有过任何外在的攻击性，但他们毕竟是无法预期的，所以，当孩子和狗在一起的时候要始终保持警惕。

当地的动物管理机构带走了狗，它将被圈养接受观察并且测试是否有狂犬病，之后会被安乐死

当地警方将会持续进行调查此事