Jonathon Harwood, eight, has been left with physical and mental scars for life after the brutal attack by the Staffordshire bull terrier next to his home in Marsden, South Shields.
The boy's mother Lisa Patterson said she feared her son would be killed but she managed to pull the animal away.
Jonathon’s face was badly bitten near his eye in the attack and he was rushed to hospital for treatment.
Miss Patterson said the dog had belonged to neighbours, who had picked it up four weeks ago from a rescue centre.
The mum-of-three added: 'It all happened in a split second. One minute we were stroking the dog and the next it pounced on him and pushed him to the ground and went for his face. It’s hard to know exactly what happened, but I knew I needed to get it off.'
She said the recent news story about a two-year-old in Swindon being left in a coma following a mauling by a dog flashed through her mind.
'All I could think of was about that story in the news the other day where a
dog mauled a two-year-old in Swindon and left him in a coma. That could have happened to Jonathon, or even worse,' she said.
The attack happened on Tuesday lunchtime after Jonathon had been dropped off at home by his dad.
Miss Patterson, who has recently finished a university degree and is a volunteer for the Witness Service at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, says she dialled 999 as soon as she had pulled the dog away.
The 32-year-old said: 'It was horrible, there was blood everywhere. The cuts were really close to his eye, it was a gruesome scene. It was out of the blue, I really didn’t expect it at all. It goes to show that dogs can be dangerous, it only takes a split second.
'We thought this one was fine but it changed.'
When the police arrived at the scene, the dog was put down.
Jonathon was taken to South Tyneside District Hospital, but was transferred to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Hospital for expert treatment. His injuries were operated on later that night but doctors said he will be scarred for life.
Miss Patterson said: 'A bone above his mouth was broken, he has lost nerves in his face and his mouth was cut from one side to the other. He will be scarred forever, not only physically but mentally too. A psychologist is going to see him because he is terrified of coming home, he doesn’t really understand what’s happened.'
A police spokesman said: 'At 12.05pm on Tuesday police received a report from the ambulance service that an eight-year-old boy had been bitten by a dog.
(Daily Mail - June 7, 2012)
