ELSTON -- A young Cole County boy is in the hospital after he was bitten in the face by a dog.

The incident happened just after 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Elston area, near Route T and Old Stage Rd.

The boy was bit by a Mastiff and was life-flighted to University Hospital in Columbia, according to Cole County Sheriff Greg White.

The dog is now in the custody of animal control.

The sheriff says the investigation is just beginning into who owns the dog and the circumstances behind the attack.