It's something Tony Williams said he never thought would happen after his son's ears were torn from his head during the Aug. 3 attack.
Brandon was discharged Tuesday after being hospitalized for nearly a week following reconstructive surgery.
Brandon, a blue-eyed boy with a contagious smile, was mauled by a female pit bull mix and a large black male dog outside a home in the 1000 block of Branch Drive in Newport as he carried a wrongly delivered package to a neighbor's home.
Cocke County Sheriff's Office deputies said the dogs were owned by Jennifer R. Switzer, 21, and Anthony L. Lugar, 22, who were later arrested on charges of allowing animals to run at large.
The two are due in court for a preliminary hearing on their respective charges Aug. 29.
Brandon said when he tried to run from the dogs, they knocked him over and the pit bull, which authorities said was in heat, mauled him.
His mom screamed. His father rushed out the front door to his aid.
Tony Williams tried to grab the pit bull as it dragged Brandon down the road by one ear, but he said the black dog intervened and bit him.
Williams scared off the black dog and attacked the pit bull. It took five minutes, he said, to pull his son free.
A neighbor was forced to fatally shoot the black dog. The female pit bull mix was quarantined.
Brandon was flown by medical helicopter to the hospital, where he underwent reconstructive surgery in an attempt to reattach his ears, which doctors could not save.
Doctors also performed surgery on his neck, leg and arm, which was still in a splint Tuesday.
His father recalled the moments that took place before his son was transported to the hospital, including when he found Brandon's ears in the road.
"I'm thinking, he's never going to hear again," the boy's father said. "But the good Lord took care of him."
Brandon, who called the attack terrifying, said he fought the dog off for as long as he could until his father came to his rescue.
"I wasn't ready to die, nuh-uh," Brandon said, then shook his head.
As he prepared to leave the hospital, Brandon said he was feeling "good," but that his arm hurt a little.
His head, wrapped in gauze and an ace bandage, did not hurt, he said.
When asked how his hearing was Tuesday, Brandon gave a thumbs-up and smiled.
"I'm happy, just tickled to death we're going home," Brandon's father said.
He said Brandon has two parties planned for him already.
The first is for his homecoming. The second, planned for Sunday at Newport City Park, is to celebrate his 11th birthday, which is Monday.
"He's got a good early birthday present," his father said of his son's release from the hospital.
(Knoxville News Sentinel - August 9, 2011)
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