The boy and his friends were playing outside in their neighborhood on the far east side when the dog attacked. Kaiden Harrison, 6, was viciously mauled by a Pit bull.
His father, Kenneth Gamble, said the attack was unprovoked.
Officials with Indianapolis Animal Care and Control said the dog doesn't have a history of attacks and they believe the incident was random.
Gamble described what happened when his other son rushed inside the home saying there was a dog attack. Neighbors hurried outside to find the dog, which at the time, was still running. Another neighbor picked up Kaiden's near-lifeless body. Gamble said he'll never forget the image of his son.
“There was a lot of blood. The guy's shirt was drenched in blood," he said. Gamble described what his injuries looked like. "It’s like he was on his face for like a minute. It’s like he was eating his face.”
Kaiden was rushed to the hospital where he underwent surgery for his ears. Gamble said both are severely injured. The surgery was expected to last between three and six hours.
"One [ear] is badly damaged, like halfway there, and the other one is almost completely off," Gamble said.
Kaiden also has puncture wounds to his knees. The boy will be hospitalized for at least the next few days. After that, he will spend weeks healing and monitoring his injuries before having to get reconstructive surgery.
“Right now he can hear. His hearing is good, but they don’t know once he starts healing or after this surgery if it will change or not. It’s just a time thing," said Gamble.
Gamble said he has never seen the dog before. IACC is investigating. Officials said they have not previously received reports for this dog. The owners voluntarily surrendered the dog to IACC custody. As per standard protocol, the dog will be under a mandatory 10 day quarantine. After that, the dog will undergo a behavioral evaluation. Officials said because of the severity of the bites, the dog will likely be put down. The owners will also be cited.
Gamble said the situation is traumatic for both him and Kaiden, but he said he's proud of how brave his young son has been through the process.
“He’s a strong little boy," said Gamble.
The family has set up an account to help with his medical expenses.
(Fox 59 - Mar 14, 2016)
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