14-year-old boy killed by family dog in northwestern Minnesota

BATTLE LAKE, Minn, (FOX 9) - A 14-year-old boy was attacked and killed by his family’s dog in rural northwestern Minnesota Thursday, according to the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office.   

Shortly after 3 p.m., deputies responded to a welfare check in rural Battle Lake. When they arrived, they found a 14-year-old boy dead in the yard, believed to have been killed by the family dog, according to the sheriff’s office. 

The dog was "extremely aggressive" when the deputies arrived on scene, the sheriff’s office said. For public safety reasons as well as at the request of the dog’s owner, the dog was put down. 

The family says the dog was a 3-year-old long-haired German shepherd the family bought in Poland six months ago, according to the sheriff's office. 

The sheriff’s office and the county coroner are investigating the incident. 

The dog has been taken to North Dakota State University for a necropsy.