Four legged friends (and enemies): Boy savaged after being jumped by friend's dog

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Boy savaged after being jumped by friend's dog

NEW ZEALAND -- A 9-year-old boy is recovering with 88 stitches after being savaged in a dog attack.

Surgeons operated for four hours, putting 70 stitches in
Cameron Pita's face, 12 in his arm and six in his chest
after he was attacked by a friend's dog.

Cameron Pita was visiting a friend near his home in Palmerston North when he went to pat the family dog, a Weimaraner / [German] Short-Haired Pointer cross.

"It's usually real nice...I stopped patting it and knocking [on the door] and then it just jumped at me," said Cameron. "It happened pretty fast. It bit my face first then went to the other spot."

The frenzied attack lasted only seconds, but Cameron was left with a huge tear in his cheek and bites to his arm, chest and stomach.

RECOVERING: Cameron Pita, 9, was visiting a friend's
house, two weeks ago when he was attacked by their dog.

After hearing his screams, the owners called the dog off, comforted Cameron and ran to get his parents, Andrea Tyson and Matt Pita.

"I didn't really feel much," Cameron said.

"It just felt like a little grab but when I saw blood coming off I just yelled."

His mother Andrea Tyson saw Cameron's injuries when ambulance officers arrived.

"My legs gave away.. If [Matt] hadn't been there to catch me, I would have been on the ground... I was in a state of shock. At least he's alive. At least his face was fixable."

"The ambulance staff arrived and said, `Can you take your hand away?' and then his cheek just fell open."

He was taken to Palmerston North Hospital, and then flown to Hutt Hospital by the Palmerston North rescue helicopter.

Cameron Pita with his mom Andrea Tyson

Surgeons operated for four hours, putting 70 stitches in his face, 12 in his arm and six in his chest.

She said the dog's owners were "devastated" and had the animal destroyed immediately.