Texas: Mother, her 9 year-old son and a Good Samaritan mauled by 3 pit bull mixes

TEXAS -- A mother and son are recovering after being mauled by three Pit Bull mixes Saturday night. A man who stepped in to help has been released from the hospital.

"It shouldn't be like this," said Neighbor Jennifer Stidham. "Dogs shouldn't do that to people."

A nine year old boy was playing with the dogs when they turned on him.

It happened in the backyard of a home on North Ricketts Street. His mother heard the commotion and jumped on the dogs to protect her son.

"To go out there and try to resolve the matter only to be attacked yourself that's got to be a horrific thing to go through," said Eric Harp who lives nearby.

Sgt. D.M. Hampton said, "It's not their dogs and they were just visiting the place they were at."

The boy was able to escape and get to a neighbors home. His mother was then attacked but that's when a 23-year-old man jumped in to help. He was able to get the dogs off the woman but was bitten in the leg.

 

 

The woman and her son were flown to Dallas area hospitals. The nine year old has bites to his thigh and shoulder. The woman has serious injuries and has to have extensive surgery to repair her arm.

"It's very scary especially being so close to the park where family and kids walk," said Harp. "It's very disturbing."

"This is going to be traumatic for that child and that mom," said Stidham.

Jennifer Stidham has lived on Ricketts for about two years. Recently she had to change the walking path for her and her two young children because of the dogs.

"I was concerned about the aggression I was seeing," Stidham said.

The dogs are in quarantine for ten days. Then a judge will decide what to do with the dogs.

"If a dog will turn like that once who's to say it won't happen again," said Harp.

The owner of the dog was given a vicious animal citation, a misdemeanor.

(KXXI - Nov 14, 2016)