A seven-year-old boy from the US who was savagely mauled by a dog was saved by a brave neighbour who rushed to help him.
Conner Landers, from Reno in Texas was getting off his school bus when a brindle boxer-bullmastiff mixed-breed dog attacked him after escaping from inside a fenced yard on January 21.
The boy then cried out as the dog attacked him, but luckily the neighbour saved him - although it wasn't easy as the canine was persistent in its pursuit.
Neighbour Lorena Parker was alerted by her own dogs barking at the incident as she quickly ran out to try to stop the attack, reports the Daily Star.
However, the dog then turned its attention to her and backed her into her yard before returning to attack Conner and drag him down the street.
Now armed with a large stick, she hit the dog in order to save the schoolboy.
Speaking to FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, Ms Parker said: “He had Conner, was taking him through the ditch to his yard.
"Every time I got the dog off, he would turn and go right back to Conner because he was crying. It was horrible."
Conner suffered two dozen lacerations to his face and arms, with puncture wounds to his scalp and neck.
He also had cuts and bruises to his chest and legs.
He underwent a three-hour reconstructive surgery on his face but will need more surgeries to repair nerve damage and his tear duct, according to his mother Cassandra Ware.
His mother also stated that Conner will require physical therapy to regain the use of his arm and will have to learn to write again.
Hospital staff accredited the neighbour with saving Conner’s life, according to police reports.
Following the attack. the dog was quarantined and humanely euthanized last week due to the severity of the attack.
The dog's owner, Patti Jean Bell-Neveling, 49, was arrested on Monday and charged with attack by dog causing serious bodily injury, which is a third-degree felony.
She was released on a $10,000 (£7,300) bond on Tuesday, according to jail records.
Sheriff Russ Authier, Parker County Sheriff's Office, said: “We commend Conner’s neighbour for her bravery and quick actions in saving him.
“We are praying for Conner to make a full recovery.”
The Sheriff’s Office Animal Control Supervisor Karen Kessler has initiated a fundraising effort to benefit Conner.
Kessler said: “We just wanted to do something to help Conner on his long road to recovery,”
She added that the fundraising efforts were initiated to help ease the burden of Conner’s medical bills.
Conner’s neighbour was also awarded $500 (£368) from fundraising efforts by Sheriff’s Office Animal Control Officers.
