DE WITT, NE -- A week after a pit bull attack sent him to the hospital, 17 year-old Cyle Preston is recovering from the attack which cost him part of his ear.
The DeWitt teen recalled going to a friend’s house on the evening of July 5 and playing with a pit bull before he says the dog “snapped.”
“I was petting it and he was licking me,” Cyle recalled. “I couldn’t believe it attacked because it was nice at first. It was really scary. It just totally transformed in a couple seconds.”
Preston said the dog attacked as he was exiting the residence.
He said the dog bit his ankle, causing him to fall to the ground, when the dog then attacked his head.
The owner of the dog pulled the animal off Preston and a friend took him to the hospital.
Filled with confusion and shock, Preston didn’t immediately realize what had happened.
“I didn’t even know my ear was missing,” Preston said. “My friend said he would explain it at the hospital and that’s when I realized it must be pretty bad. I looked in the mirror of the vehicle saw I was missing part of my ear. That’s when I started freaking out. The dog just went crazy.”
The portion of Preston’s ear removed by the dog was recovered from the scene.
Doctor’s reattached the piece, but Preston said the reattached portion had turned black and will likely need to be removed.
Preston had interacted with the dog on previous occasions.
Cyle’s mother, Carly Preston, said she feels differently about the pit bull breed since the attack.
“I used to think it was the way you raised an animal, but now I firmly believe pit bulls just snap,” Carly said. “I think pit bulls are bred to kill. (The dog) went for Cyle’s throat. He tucked and covered and it saved his life.”
The pit bull remains in police custody and may be euthanized for the attack although no charges have been filed against the dog’s owner.
“I don’t want this to happen to anyone else,” Carly said.“Someone needs to be responsible for what happened to Cyle.”
When asked what punishment the dog and its owner should receive, Preston said he will agree with whatever punishment the police department deems appropriate.
Through the incident and the six-day hospital stay, Cyle has maintained a positive attitude and said he’s thankful not to be in worse shape following the attack, but will exercise more caution when dealing with dogs in the future.
“I’ll definitely be more cautious,” Cyle said. “I used to think pit bulls were nice if trained, but now I don’t know what to think. Right now, I’m not fond of even going near one at this point. If I ever go near one again, it’s going to be a while.”
(Beatrice Daily Sun - July 12, 2011)
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