An eight-year-old boy saved his younger sister from a neighbor’s vicious dog after the dog snuck into the family’s yard and attacked the girl.
Nicholas Chitwood is now being hailed as a hero after rushing to the aid of six-year-old Lillian and stopping the adult pitbull.
Sunday’s attack in a Michigan suburb could have been fatal, his family said, if not for Nicholas’ heroism and quick thinking.
The older brother not only stopped the dog from biting his face and neck, but was also able to get his sister to safety before the animal could cause any further harm.
The girl will suffer severe nerve damage to her face and doctors have not yet determined whether further surgery will be necessary. She is still in severe pain. The dog was euthanized.
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Lillian Chitwood was savagely attacked by an adult pit bull at her grandparents’ home in a Michigan suburb last Sunday.
Her brother Nicholas, hearing her screams, ran to her aid and stopped the adult pitbull in its tracks.
“When I got the call, I dropped everything and ran to the hospital,” recalled Rebecca Chitwood, the children’s mother. WNEM.
“To me, that could mean anything,” she said of being told over the phone that her daughter had been attacked by a dog.
“It could be a couple of puncture wounds, it could be what you’re experiencing now, it could have been even worse.”
The children had actually been at their grandparents’ house, she said, playing in the backyard and enjoying the weather.
That’s when the neighbor’s dog allegedly broke through the fence separating the two properties, after which it headed toward Lillian while her brother was in another part of the yard.
The dog attacked the girl, biting her face and neck. A scream was what prompted Nicholas to act, said her relatives, who described how the boy literally jumped on the dog despite its ferocity.
“He jumped on the dog, threw him off and continued kicking him until his grandfather came to help him,” Chitwood recalled of her son.
“He was just trying to save his sister. He heard her scream and… he sprang into action,” she said, perhaps with an intended pun.
Not only did he stop the dog from biting his face and neck, but he was also able to get his sister to safety.
Rebecca Chitwood, the children’s mother, described her daughter’s ordeal in an interview, as well as her son’s heroism.
Immediately after the attack, Lillian was left a bloody mess, her family said.
She has several bite marks on her neck, several of which were just an inch “from severing the artery in her neck,” her mother said.
“They also repaired her left eyelid,” he added, referring to the operation at the University of Michigan, where graphic photographs showed the girl’s swollen and stitched face.
“He had several stitches,” he continued, referring to the operation. “And he has significant nerve damage in his face.”
Nicolas also spoke in an interview, after miraculously emerging unscathed from the encounter.
“I didn’t want her to die,” the bespectacled boy told the outlet, as he continues to receive praise from neighbors and family for his altruism.
His sister, who now faces a long road to recovery, said of the ordeal: “It was difficult, but I’m grateful that my brother helped me.”
And she added sadly: “Because if I hadn’t done it, I would already be dead.”
The neighbor’s dog allegedly broke through a fence separating the two properties, after which it headed toward Lillian.
The dog involved has since been euthanized, the family said, while Lillian now faces a long road to recovery.
Meanwhile, Chitwood is proud of both boys for their bravery, but singled out Nicholas again on Tuesday as the trauma of the attack still lingers days later.
“I’m so proud. He’s the best big brother in the world,” she said of her little one.
Meanwhile, the dog was euthanized by animal control immediately afterward, as the family had set up a GoFundMe to help with Lillian’s medical expenses.
In a description, Rebecca wrote that the dog was not provoked.
“All donations would be greatly appreciated,” he added, anticipating several more trips to the University of Michigan medical department.
As of this writing, the website has raised $6,862 of its $10,000 goal.
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