Boy Bitten at Upstate New York Festival; Parents Look for Dog’s Owner

Dog Bites Young Boy at ADK Balloon Fest

A little boy was bit in the face at the Adirondack Balloon Festival over the weekend in Warren County.  The parents are looking for the dog's owner, who they claim left with her dog right after the incident happened.

According to sources, Trent Morgan, age 3, was at the Adirondack Balloon Festival with his mother, Emily Matuszczak, and his stepdad, Tyler Ennis, Saturday when a dog walking by caught the boy's attention.

"Hopefully the owner comes forward with proof of the vaccination records. So Trent doesn’t have to endure getting rounds of rabies shots." - Tyler Ennis, Facebook

Boy Asks to Pet the Dog

Trent's stepfather, Tyler, told News Channel 13 that the owner was okay with the 3-year-old asking to pet the greyish-brown pitbull mix. And that's when their weekend took an unfortunate turn for the worse.

Ennis told the news station that the "dog just snapped right up on his face, and then, you know, he started crying. We thought he was just afraid."

Blood All Over His Face

The boy's stepfather told News Channel 13 that when he took a look at Trent's face, he knew that the boy was crying for a different reason: the dog attacked him.

“I saw all the blood all over his face. I just snatched him out of her, you know, out of her arms. I just sprinted towards the paramedics,” Ennis told the news station.

Trent's family says the boy was treated at Glens Falls Hospital and is "dealing with injuries around his eye and his chin.

Pets Not Allowed at the ADK Balloon Festival

One pressing concern is why a dog was present when, according to the ADK Balloon Fest webpage, animals aren't while stating:

"We love pets too but they can be frightened by the loud pitch of the balloon burners. In addition, with large crowds they can be a safety hazard."

Parents are Looking for the Dog's Owner

Trent's parents are not asking to put the dog down if they find the rightful owner; they want the dog’s vaccination records in hopes that Trent won't be forced to get multiple Rabies shots.

They say the little man has been through enough, and hopefully, if the dog has been adequately vaccinated, Trent won't have to endure any more trauma.

Trent's stepfather, Tyler, has been posting information about the incident on his Facebook page and described the dog and its owner in greater detail, hoping to track them down for medical record purposes.

Ennis, on Facebook, wrote that he believes the greyish/brown pitbull mix was named "Zara" and that the dog's owner was a woman with dark hair wearing a white T-shirt when the incident occurred.