An 11-year-old Sharon boy underwent surgery Sunday after a neighbor's bull mastiff bit the boy during a holiday weekend party.

Shawn Matsko, 297 Ashton Road, Sharon, was released Monday from the hospital of Sharon Regional Health System after receiving over 25 stitches.

The dog bit Shawn in the upper right arm, leaving a 6-inch long wound that ran to the bone, said Shawn's mother Jolene Reichart. He also suffered scratches to his back and sides, she said.

Shawn said he and his friend, a son of the dog's owners, were walking in the other boy's yard when the dog, which was tied up, lunged at Shawn.

He was rushed to the hospital of Sharon Regional Health System where the wound was cleaned and the boy was operated on, Mrs. Reichart said. The bite tore muscles in the boy's arm between his biceps and triceps, she said.

"Shawn is not a stranger to that dog," said Mrs. Reichart said. "He plays there all the time."

According to Shawn, the dog started barking at him and jumped up on his side.

"The dog usually barks, so we didn't turn around," he said. "I thought he just scratched my shirt, then I looked down and started to scream," he said. Sharon police said a report is not complete and would not release the name of the dog's owners.

Kathy Whiteman of Shenango Valley Animal Shelter was aware of the incident but said she could not comment until the police report is complete.