A 14-month-old boy was hospitalized in Pittsburgh with serious facial injuries suffered in a dog attack Friday afternoon in Butler, authorities said.

The boy was with his mother and father walking on Chestnut Street near Locust Street shortly before 3:30 p.m. when the dog bit the child on the face.

The father told police that he managed to get the dog, a blue nose pit bull, off the boy. The man reportedly threw the dog across the street while the boy’s mother took her son and ran up the road, police said.

Butler Fire Department medics described the child’s injuries as “severe,” according to a police report.

“He was conscious and alert with an 8-inch long (wound) to the left side of the face,” Butler fire Capt. Ted Codispot said of the boy.

A Butler Ambulance Service crew was tending to the child in an ambulance when police officers got there about 3:50 p.m. He was taken to Butler Memorial Hospital.

The boy was flown by medical helicopter to Children’s Hospital for further treatment. But no further information about the boy’s medical condition was available this morning.

A telephone call to Butler Memorial Hospital was not returned.

Authorities said that shortly after officers left the scene they were notified that the boy’s father had found the dog and had it pinned to the ground.

Police eventually took the animal to the station.

A letter carrier nearby apparently recognized the dog and believed its owner lives at a home in the 300 block of West North Street, said Butler police Deputy Chief David Adam.

Police went to the home and spoke to the owner, Desmond Cash, 44, who admitted the dog had gotten loose earlier that day, the report said.

Adam said Cash later came to the station and retrieved his dog. He was advised of the state’s law that required him to quarantine the animal for 10 days, Adam said.

State dog Warden Jennifer George was notified and is investigating, police said. She could not be reached for comment.

Adam said police have not ruled out criminal charges in the case.