The attack happened while they were visiting family in the 4000 block of Lee Avenue in Sanford this weekend.
The community is rallying around Tiffany Griffis and her 2-year-old son Cameron Moore to help care for her other three children while she recovers.
She said the dog went for the 2-year-old first. Griffis was able to lift him above her head, but the dog then started going for her legs.
Godfrey said they were dropping off a plate of food to her when a nearby dog escaped from a neighbor's yard.
The battle to stop the attack was a desperate one according to Godfrey, who tried to stop the dog by hitting him with garden shears.
When that didn't work she moved to more extreme measures.
"The next thing I thought was 'God, what do I do,'" she said, "And it's like I heard this voice in my head telling me 'stab him, stab him,' and I grabbed the biggest knife I could see, and I just started stabbing him."
Her fingertips and both legs were mauled. Griffis and Cameron were airlifted to UNC Hospitals following the attack.
Godfrey said that while Griffis' surgery for her legs went well, it's unclear what the road ahead may bring.
Godfrey said she worries about what this could mean for her cousin, a single mother supporting four children.
At first, I thought with so many young children and being referred to as a "single mother", she is a widow. But it seems she has a fiance who (based on their Facebook posts) appears to be the father of her three youngest children.
Maybe I'm getting old and grumpy, but whatever happened to people getting married before they start having children?? Yes, what happened to her and her little boy is horrific and she will definitely need donations for her long-term medical care that isn't covered by insurance, but the father of her three children - who she is not married to - is the one who should be buying diapers and clothing for his children.
Note: I've been making at effort at blurring out the faces of children when I locate and post their parents' social media photos in relation to an article, but since the article didn't blur the faces of these children, I didn't either.
According to Lee County Animal Control, they are holding the dog for a 10 day observation period. The dog is set to be euthanized afterward.
Same photo on both of their FB pages
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NORTH CAROLINA -- Crystal Underwood Burris is with Tiffany Griffis. Posted on Facebook April 1, 2018 ·
Pray warriors need serious prayer. They were attacked by pit bull. She is having surgery to save her leg and the baby was bit in vital areas .....please pray!
