A Glendale woman is thankful her 4-year-old nephew is alive after a terrifying run-in with the family's dog.
It happened Sunday, at a campground near Payson.
Korina Goodwin says her nephew was with his mom and grandmother setting up their campsite for a fun trip.
Goodwin says the family dog, a pit bull, was chained up to a large tree when another camper walked by with a dog.
Goodwin says the encounter agitated the dog as 4-year-old Andrew was playing with toys nearby.
"He reached down, I believe it was his dump truck, and pretty much the dog seeing movement in the corner of his eye, he just grabbed him," said Goodwin.
Within seconds, Andrew let out blood-curdling screams.
His family had to kick the dog off Andrew, but the damage was already done; the dog had torn through Andrew's face and head.
Andrew was airlifted to Phoenix Children's Hospital for emergency surgery.
"We weren't too sure that he was going to make it," said Goodwin.
"As of right now, pretty much all we are asking people for are cards, to let him know he is still handsome," added Goodwin.
The family had the dog for about three months. They say the animal did not have a history of aggression.
The dog is under quarantine, as is standard procedure after an incident like this. The family says the dog will be put down.
Andrew's family is asking for others to learn from their tragedy, and reminds people to be careful when kids are around pets.
The family has set up an account for medical expenses. They are also asking for handmade "handsome" cards to show support to Andrew during his recovery. Details are on the GoFundMe website.
