An 11-year-old football player suffered 17 open wounds after a pack of dogs attacked him while he was outside with his best friend.
Banner O’Berry of Atkinson, Georgia, was with his teammate on Sunday when their four-wheeler broke down. As the boys got off to inspect the vehicle, they saw three dogs running toward them, according to Banner’s mother, Jessica O’Berry, who recounted the incident in a Facebook post.
The boys climbed onto the four-wheeler in an effort to escape, but one dog seized Banner by the ankle and “snatched him off,” his mother said. The other two dogs then joined the attack. In a desperate attempt to defend himself, Banner used a pair of pliers he had with him.
“He managed to grab one of the dogs and hold it down while trying to fight the others with those pliers,” Jessica O’Berry wrote. She added that Banner’s friend remained beside him and did “absolutely everything in his power to get those dogs away.”
The attack caused 17 open wounds on Banner’s legs. He underwent three and a half hours of surgery at Coffee Regional Medical Center.
While riding in the ambulance and “hurting like hell,” Banner called his mother and asked her to tell his football coach that he would not be able to finish the season, Jessica O’Berry said.
The Atkinson County Sheriff’s Office has taken all three dogs into custody for a 10-day hold, Chief Danial Knapik told The Post.
Knapik said one of the animals has been identified as a pit bull, while the other two are believed to be hound-terrier mixes.
The sheriff’s office has also begun court proceedings to have the dogs classified as “vicious animals.” Notification paperwork has been served on their owners, according to Knapik.
Banner is now recovering from the attack. Despite his injuries, he attended a Sept. 16 football game, cheering for his teammates from the sidelines in a wheelchair.
“This warmed my heart!” Jessica O’Berry wrote while sharing photos from the game that showed her son with bandages covering his legs.
