Idaho: Fort Hall toddler mauled by dog pack returns home, is recovering 'remarkably fast'

IDAHO -- Despite enduring 35 flesh wounds and almost dying, Gunner Quagigant, the Fort Hall toddler critically injured by a pack of dogs running loose last week returned home on Wednesday after what the family called a remarkably fast recovery.

Initially, the family expected to stay at the Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City where Gunner arrived via helicopter on Sunday after the child suffered severe injuries in the attack, including extensive damage to both ears, a puncture wound to his neck that just missed his carotid artery and severely damaged ligaments in his leg.

“He’s home now, we’re dressing the open wounds that he has as we speak and he has a follow-up rabies shot in Pocatello next week,” said Darrel Archuleta, Gunner’s grandfather. “We will take him to a plastic surgeon in two weeks.”

Archuleta said that while in Salt Lake, Gunner’s mother and brothers came to visit him, adding that the 2-year-old boy just lit up when he saw them.

“It was a really rough go at the start,” Archuleta said. “But they work miracles over there at the Primary Children’s Hospital. They don’t rest until they get it resolved.”

Not only was Gunner’s family surprised at his speedy recovery, Archuleta said hospital staff were also quite astonished that he bounced back so quickly.

Also, Archuleta said the outpouring of prayers and support have been overwhelming, with Gunner’s story traveling all the way to a Christian monastery in Africa.

“We’ve had people calling us from all over,” Archuleta said. “We even had people from all over Africa praying for him. Just three days ago he couldn’t walk, but today he’s running and jumping all over the place.”

In response to Gunner’s incident, the Fort Hall Business Council approved the Tribes’ Animal Control Ordinance on March 28. The ordinance, first approved by the Fort Hall Business Council in September, is still waiting on the Bureau of Indian Affairs for approval, though.

Since 2013, the Tribes worked to develop this ordinance, with public meetings and public hearings held throughout the community in 2014 and 2015.

 

Tribal police investigated the attack, which occurred on D Avenue after the family had just returned from a shopping trip. A pack of 11 dogs attacked Gunner, according to Archuleta, and when family members heard dogs barking outside, Archuleta went to investigate and saw a pack of dogs dragging the child to a house across the street.

Tribal Fish and Game collected eight of the 11 dogs and euthanized the animals. None of the dogs involved in the attack had rabies, according to Randy’L Teton, public affairs manager for the tribes.

(Idaho State Journal - April 6, 2017)

Earlier:

• Idaho: Fort Hall residents express concern over wild dogs after toddler attacked