NORTH EDWARDS, CA (KGET/CNN) – A 3-year-old is recovering after being nearly mauled to death by a dog, but law enforcement says it could’ve been much worse had it not been for one man who dropped everything to save the boy’s life.
Dwayne Pressley was just hanging out with friends in his North Edwards, CA, neighborhood, when the group heard a noise.
"Next thing, we know he [Pressley’s friend] looked in the yard, and he told me, ‘Hey, there's a little kid over there and a dog,’” Pressley said.
Pressley’s friend pointed to a home where a 3-year-old boy had fallen from a window and into a pen with two large dogs.
One of the dogs was viciously attacking the child.
Pressley says he had no time to think. He ran towards the yard and tore down the chain link fence before pulling the boy from the dog's grip.
“Come hell or high water, that child needs help – that's all I know. I thought he was dead. He was sitting there in a crouched position covering his eye,” Pressley said.
Though Pressley managed to fight off the pit bull and save the boy’s life, the damage to the toddler was severe.
"It exposed his eye back to the cheekbone. The dog had already had the side of his face eaten, and it was horrific for me, but I had to overcome it and do what I had to do and put the child in my arms and protect him from the dog. It was a reaction anyone would've done,” Pressley said.
After first responders arrived at the scene, the boy was air-lifted to the hospital. He is expected to survive in spite of the severe injuries.
Pressley says he doesn’t view his actions as heroic, insisting he just did what he had to do and that anyone else would have done the same, even though there were others who witnessed the attack and did not intervene.
"Children are supposed to be protected. I don't care what you have to do in life. Them children come first, no matter what. Drop what you’re doing… Them children come first,” Pressley said.
The boy’s parents, who are also the dogs’ owners, were both arrested for felony child endangerment. His mother was reportedly asleep during the attack.
The home was deemed “hazardous and not safe for a child to be living in,” according to Sgt. Michael Dorkan with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.
Dorkan says there was also an 8-month-old at the house, who is now with Child Protective Services.
Animal control also responded and took the dog who attacked the boy. They were expected to return for the second dog, who was not involved in the mauling.
Copyright 2018 KGET, Kern County Animal Control via CNN. All rights reserved.
