'He is my hero without a doubt': Mother shares story of son surviving vicious dog attack

Monday, Oct. 21, 2019

News 12 at 6 O’Clock/NBC at 7

AUGUSTA, GA (WRDW/WAGT) -- It's been almost a year since a little boy was attacked by a dog on Halloween.

We're finally hearing from 6-year-old Easton Ivy and his mom for the first time as he prepares for yet another surgery.

Halloween is now bittersweet for them. It's Easton's favorite holiday, but now it also holds some scary memories.

It was in their backyard where their foster dog attacked him out of nowhere.

“It was the most terrifying thing I've seen in my life because it was like a shark after blood,” Kellie Wilcox, Easton’s mother, said.

It all started after Kellie and Easton took the dog, a pit bull, into their backyard.

"Easton was outside playing ball like they had done every day, and all of a sudden I went out there and Easton was just on the ground,” Kellie said.

“They dog started biting me,” Easton said. “And then I tried to call my mommy.”

Kellie was in shock.

“It didn’t show any aggression, you know? It was actually a really sweet dog,” Kellie said. “We were just trying to give the dog a better life.”

Kellie says she ran out to get Easton away from the dog.

“Every time I picked Easton up, the dog just jumped up and grabbed him right back out of my arms,” Kellie said. “It took about 20 minutes to get him inside."

Kellie hit the dog in the head, giving her just enough time to get Easton inside to dial 911.

“A dog just attacked my son and tore his face up, tore his ear off and eye out,” a panicked Kellie said to the 911 operator. “Please hurry.”

“It hurt bad,” Easton said.

“I thought he was going to die,” Kellie said. “There was so much blood.”

But Easton survived. He might look different, but his personality hasn't changed. He even hands out cards to kids who stare at his scars.

"It's very hard,” Kellie said. “I didn't want his life to go this way, but he handles it so well that it makes it a little bit easier. He is my hero without a doubt."

As for the villain, Kellie doesn't want anyone to blame the breed.

“This was just a bad dog,” Kellie said.

It was almost bad timing for his next surgery. It was set for Oct. 30, so he'd miss Halloween again. Luckily, doctors rescheduled.

The family wants to stress they do not hate pit bulls. Amazingly, Easton is not afraid of any kind of dog.

Now, Easton says she wants to be a police officer because he says North Augusta Department of Public Safety saved him.