4-year-old attacked by dog near school; family wants city to be aware

TEXAS -- A young man is calling for help after a stray dog attacked his 4-year-old brother. The dog in question is now in the custody of Animal Care Services and the young boy is recovering from surgery.

The boy's family, however, is upset and wants the city to take a stronger stance on getting strays off San Antonio streets.

 

According to ACS, though, the dog may not be a stray. ACS believes the dog has an owner -- who apparently has other complaints against him. The owner could face several citations if the dog is proved to be his, according to ACS.

Surgical bandages now cover Angel's left cheek. Angel spent four hours in surgery Wednesday morning to repair his facial lacerations.

"It could have been his eye or his ear," Luis Resendez, the boy's father, said.

Angel was attacked in front of his mother as she was walking to pick up her older son from Tafolla Middle School. The expecting mother said the attack happened too fast.

"I was sad and scared at the same time," Mauricio Resendez, Angel's older brother explained. Mauricio, 11, only saw the aftermath.

"I saw my baby brother in a towel with blood on his cheek," Mauricio said.

SAISD police quickly arrived to help. They spotted the dog believed to have attacked Angel and called ACS.

"There's a lot of dogs -- a lot of stray dogs," Luis Resendez said. He's afraid an attack could happen again.

On Wednesday, KENS 5 cameras saw a few stray dogs roaming the same area where Angel was bit.

Angel's father -- who recently lost his mother -- said he would not have been able to bear losing his son. A picture of Angel's grandmother is pinned on a wall in Angel's hospital room.

Luis Resendez firmly believes his mother, Yolanda, was watching over young Angel.

The family hopes Angel's attack sends a loud message.

"The city should step up. They should have animal control up there more often," Luis Resendez said.
Mauricio said his little brother's appearance may change, but he's still the same person he's loved and cared for. And that will never change, according to Mauricio.

"He used to have a cute little cheek. But now, he's going to have a scar all right here," said the older brother, pointing to his left cheek.

According to ACS, last year, a total of 23 dogs were declared dangerous. There have been a total of 29 this year.

(KENS5 - Sept 4, 2013)