12-year-old boy hospitalized, puppy killed in dog attack at local park

VERONA, Pa. — A 12-year-old boy was hospitalized and the puppy his family just adopted was killed in a horrific dog attack at a local park.

This happened just after 5 p.m. Tuesday at Riverbank Park along Arch Street in Verona.

The families involved in his heartbreaking attack are neighbors.

The little boy who was attacked, Liam Swartzwelder, says the neighbor’s dog, a Doberman, jumped the fence while he was walking his puppy and came right at him.

“I tried to get the puppy into the playground and close the gate, but he jumped onto my back and pushed me down before I was able to,” Liam tells Channel 11.

Liam told us what he loved most about his brand-new puppy, whom he named Simba.

“He was just a puppy,” Liam said. “He was just running around all day. He never wanted to be alone.”

Liam’s mom, Leanne Swartzwelder, was sitting outside at the time.

“Hell, it was pure terror hearing my son scream, hearing the dogs go nuts,” Swartzwelder said. “You knew what was happening right when you heard the screaming.”

The Doberman’s owner, David Lowery, is facing several charges.

“They are summary offenses right now, and we submitted to the state to label this dog a dangerous dog,” Verona Police Chief Tom Dessell tells Channel 11.

Lowery’s wife talked to us off camera and was in tears, saying they adopted their Doberman, Max, from an abusive situation, and they have chosen to put him down. She said the family was saving up to put in a new fence this summer.

Neighbors we talked to say this isn’t the first time. A 12-year-old girl was trying to shield a different neighbor’s small dog when the same Doberman attacked a year ago, also in Riverbank Park.

“It’s a safety issue not just for my son and other dogs, but this is a playground,” Swartzwelder added. “What if it was a toddler yesterday and not just a puppy?”

Dessell asks neighbors to keep their dogs on leashes, especially as the weather warms up.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW