An 11-year-old student was attacked by a pack of seven stray dogs while practicing track and field around the grounds of the Escuela Especializada en Artes y Deportes Ernestina Méndez in San Sebastián, Puerto Rico. His mother, Yenilín López, told Primera Hora the athletics program lacks a proper track, so the teacher had designed a running route around the school. During training, the teacher noticed the boy on the ground surrounded by the dogs; two or three employees from the area, known as "el pabellón," rushed in and rescued him, saying they couldn't even see the child because the dogs had him fully covered.
The teacher called Puerto Rico's 9-1-1 Emergency System, activated school protocols, and contacted the nurse and the boy's parents. López said she has no complaints about the school or teacher, but is demanding that relevant agencies address the stray dog problem, noting nothing had been done despite prior awareness. The boy suffered an open wound on the back of his head, lacerated ears requiring sutures (one nearly torn off), and injuries to an eye, an armpit, buttocks, and both legs.
He remains hospitalized.