A seven-year-old boy has suffered horrific facial injuries after being mauled by a vicious dog, but could have died if not for the actions of two heroic tradies.
The boy, named Cameron, was playing on his front lawn in the Cairns suburb of Kewarra Beach on March 18 when the large dog ran up, grabbed his face and began “biting and tearing at it”, and his mother Tahlia was unable to get the dog off.
Local tradesman and family friend Cody Dunstan said he and his business partner John Marshall were working on a nearby property when they saw a dog run across the road followed by screaming.
The pair dashed over to the house and saw Tahlia with her hand down the dog’s throat trying to prise its mouth open, and sprang into action.
“John was doing what he could to get the dog off, so by the time I got there the dog had let go, so I pulled the boy back and as I pulled him back, the dog made another lunge, so I grabbed Cameron and dragged him back inside,” Mr Dunstan told The Cairns Post.
“Then, [John] pulled the dog away, tied it to his ute and the mum came inside and took over comforting the kid so I rang the ambulance from there.”
Cameron was then rushed to hospital where he underwent surgery for injuries to his face, jaw and teeth. He was discharged on March 14 but will need ongoing medical care, and Mr Dunstan and the family have started a GoFundMe to raise money for medical bills and other expenses.
“He’s on the mend, still got some more possible skin grafts to happen, but the doctors did a great job on one side of his cheek that was fully separated,” Mr Dunstan said.
“It’s taken a big chunk out of the lip where the two lips kind of join … then I think it’s done damage to the teeth and jaw, so there’ll be some dental trips as well.
“They’ve had a hard shot to start with, (Cameron’s) brother is in a wheelchair, and everyone knows it’s a fair bit of money with medical bills, so that’s when I thought the GoFundMe page would be a great idea.”
The dog has been seized by Cairns Regional Council, which said an investigation was underway.
Header image: Left, right, Cameron before and after the attack (GoFundMe).
