North Carolina: Mother, young son mauled on Easter Sunday. Pit Bull won't stop when beaten with tree trimmers; only relents when repeatedly stabbed

LEE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA -- A local mother and her young son are recovering at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill after being attacked by a dog in Sanford on Easter Sunday.

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.

Griffis's cousin, Destiny Godfrey, was there when it happened.

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 bottom of the neighbor's chain-linked fence was unsecured.

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."

Godfrey said while Cameron is expected to be released from the hospital today, after a bite to his left thigh, Griffis' injuries are much more extensive.

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!

(WTVD - April 2, 2018)

Links:

• Tiffany Griffis Facebook
• Cory Moore Facebook

Florida: Miami Gardens man seriously hurt after American Bulldog / Jack Russell mix attacked him; owner blames him for being attacked

FLORIDA -- A man was seriously hurt after he was bitten by a dog Wednesday in Miami Gardens.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Lt. Felipe Lay said the attack happened about 3:45 p.m. in the 3700 block of Northwest 161st Street.

The man's injuries were so severe he was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center in Miami, where he was listed in stable condition.

OWNER BLAMING THE VICTIM FOR BEING ATTACKED

Nadhir Ebanks, the owner of the 3-year-old Jack Russell Terrier and American bulldog mix, told Local 10 News that the victim is his next-door neighbor who was outside doing yard work at a different neighbor's house with a tree trimmer.

 

 

Ebanks said the dog, whose name is Alba, began barking at the neighbor, and "escaped his property", ran down the street to where the victim was and was barking and behaving aggressively.

Ebanks says he told the man not to move, but says the victim "panicked and swung the tree trimmer at Alba several times".

Ebanks claims that his dog didn't attack his neighbor until after it was struck with the tree trimmer. Neighbors said the man suffered bite wounds to both his legs and both sides of his neck.

OK so if Ebanks saw all of this, how did this man end up being mauled with "bite wounds to both his legs and both sides of his neck"? Where was he? Why didn't he grab his dog? The fact that he was bitten on both sides of the neck means the dog had time to pull him down and continue the attack. WHERE WAS NADHIR EBANKS ALL THIS TIME???

Oh and it gets even better... not only was he seriously mauled so the point where he had to be taken by helicopter to the hospital, Animal Control didn't even take the dog. They let him quarantine it at home (giving him plenty of time to move it out of the city and hide it from them).

Animal Services said the dog had no known history of attacks. Miami-Dade County Animal Services evaluated Alba and placed the dog under quarantine for 10 days AT THE OWNER'S HOUSE.

(Local10 - January 17, 2018)