A Surrey, B.C. toddler is recovering from surgery tonight after his family's pit bull suddenly turned on him, biting him several times in the face.
Three-year-old Justice Paradis may require plastic surgery, but he is expected to survive. The entire family is in shock, said the boy's aunt, Deja Paradis.
"I can't imagine watching that," she told CTV News. "I have a child too, and it would just kill me."
The boy's grandfather, Bill Paradis, told CTV News that the dog belongs to the boy's mother, and it's usually kept on a chain outside the family's house, on 133rd St. in Surrey. The dog, whose name is Haze, hasn't attacked anyone before, he said.
But the boy's father mistakenly let the dog loose inside the house while the children were around at about 2:00 p.m., he said. That's when the dog attacked, biting the father as well as he tried to save the child.
"My son pulled the dog off, then he was going to pummel the dog or reprimand the dog more, but he had enough sense to back off and give the dog some space," he said.
"I don't think it meant to cause any harm, I think it's a reaction," said Paradis. "It's a tragedy because my grandson may be scarred."
The toddler was speaking to family members last night, which shows that he won't suffer brain damage, said Paradis.
"He wasn't full of fear, it just stunned him," he said. "He didn't know why 'puppy' bit him. It shows such character, such a relief."
The RCMP and the SPCA arrived at the home, but Paradis said they didn't seize the dog. Calls to the RCMP and the SPCA went unanswered.
The family wants to find a new home for the dog away from children, he said.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Jon Woodward
