An eight-year-old boy required hospital treatment after being savagely attacked by a dog while visiting a friend’s home in one of Lanzarote’s most popular resort towns. On May 10, the young boy went to a neighbouring house to ask his friend to go to the beach in Playa Blanca.
He was outside the property playing with a ball near the front door when it suddenly opened, and a Belgian Malinois lunged at his face, according to reports. The attack left the boy with serious injuries to his lip and the area beneath his nose. His mother said the dog tore part of his lip, causing wounds that required four stitches. She said that another child from the house ran to alert her after the attack and when she arrived, she found the dog’s owner attempting to stop the bleeding with paper.
The child was taken to hospital, where doctors sedated him due to the pain and shock caused by the incident. He is still recovering and attended a medical appointment on Wednesday (May 20) to have the stitches removed, reported Canarian Weekly.
The boy’s mother has since filed a complaint with the Guardia Civil. She claimed the dog had had several previous owners and alleged it had been trained inappropriately, which she believed contributed to aggressive behaviour.
According to the complaint, the dog owner allegedly admitted the animal’s vaccinations were not up to date and said the dog was kept to protect the property. The mother also expressed concern that the dog lives close to a public park.
The Belgian Malinois, also known as the Belgian Shepherd, is a working breed and males can stand 24 to 26 inches tall and can weigh up to 34 kilograms, while females are slightly smaller. While not inherently aggressive, they possess extreme drive, high intelligence, and protective instincts, which can make them reactive without firm socialisation and consistent training.
Playa Blanca is the sunniest and most southerly resort town on Lanzarote, part of the Canary Islands archipelago. Originally a quiet fishing village, it has evolved into a relaxed, upscale holiday destination favoured for its beautiful beaches, waterfront promenades, and the stylish Marina Rubicón.
The Playa Blanca pier acts as a major transit hub for excursions and connections to Fuerteventura. It reached a record-breaking 1.2 million users. The vast majority of tourists originate from the UK, Ireland, mainland Spain, Germany and France. The island as a whole welcomes roughly 3.5 million tourists annually, with Brits accounting for over half of them.
