OXFORD TWP. – A 9-year-old boy was bitten by a dog in the Lake Villa Manufactured Home Community on June 12, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.

The boy was visiting a neighbor’s house on Trillium Trail when a Dogue de Bordeaux, a large French mastiff, named Zeus allegedly attacked him.

When interviewed by the deputy, the boy said he was petting the dog, who was outside on a leash, and the next thing he knew, Zeus knocked him to the ground.

According to the report, when the boy tried to stand up, “the dog bit his left arm and would not let go.”

The deputy reported the dog’s owner, a 41-year-old Oxford man, told him he had to “punch Zeus in the head multiple times before he released (the boy’s) arm.”

While en route to the hospital, the boy’s mother was forced to pull over at M-24 and Metamora Rd. and call 9-1-1 because he was “starting to pass out,” the report stated. Oxford firefighters transported the boy to McLaren Lapeer Region hospital.

The deputy indicated he spoke with the boy’s grandmother and she said his wound required approximately 30 stitches and 10 staples.

Animal control was called and removed the dog from the home. In his report, the deputy observed Zeus was “calm” when he arrived and “secured to the rear porch of the house with a tow strap that is used for cars.”