North Carolina boy, Hunter Bishop, 12, viciously mauled by TEN pit bulls while riding his bike
North Carolina boy Hunter Bishop, 12, brutally beaten by TEN pit bulls while riding his bicycle
- Hunter Bishop, 12, was attacked by ten pit bulls on August 26 while riding his bike
- Bishop has since had four surgeries and is expected to need one more
- His mother, Amanda Barnes, said the pit bulls were loose and seemed hungry
A North Carolina boy riding his bicycle through his neighborhood was viciously attacked by a pack of ten hungry pit bulls.
Hunter Bishop, 12, was attacked by the animals on Saturday, Aug. 26, in Rutherford County while riding his bike to a friend’s house, mother Amber Barnes said.
“They looked like they were starving,” Barnes said, adding that she went out to look for her son and locate him in a ditch. “The way I looked at it, they ate my son.”
Two people managed to pull the dogs off Hunter and he was rushed to hospital where he was placed in critical condition, according to a Nextdoor post.
Since the brutal attack, the boy has undergone at least four surgeries and is expected to require a fifth surgery, which will take place on September 2.
A North Carolina boy riding his bike through his neighborhood was viciously attacked by a pack of ten hungry pit bulls
Hunter Bishop (pictured) was attacked by the animals on Saturday, Aug. 26, in Rutherford County as he rode his bicycle to a friend’s house, mother Amber Barnes said
Hunter’s legs are bruised and heavily bandaged after the attack
Barnes told local media that Hunter had been driving to a friend’s house when the dogs came out of nowhere and surrounded him on Grassy Knob Road.
She eventually went looking for him and found him in a ditch, seriously injured from the mauling.
The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the attack occurred along a road about 35 miles southeast of Asheville.
Amber, shaken by the attack, loaded her son into the car and drove him to Greenville Memorial Children’s Hospital where doctors treated a series of injuries.
“It’s unreal that he’s still alive,” she said WLOS.
Photos shared by the outlet show significant bruising and bandaging of his wounds.
The digital courier reported that doctors struggled to find enough undamaged skin to graft to completely close and heal his wounds.
The local sheriff’s office has spoken to the owners of the dogs, but the individuals have not been publicly identified.
The sheriff’s office plans to meet with the district attorney to decide whether or not charges against the owners are appropriate.
It is not known what happened to the dogs after the attack.
The case is still under investigation by the sheriff’s office.
“It’s unreal that he’s still alive,” she told WLOS. Pictured: One of Hunter’s wounds
Photos shared by the outlet show significant bruising and bandaging of his wounds
“They looked like they were starving,” Barnes said, adding that she went out to look for her son and locate him in a ditch. ‘The way I looked at it, they ate my son’
In a heartbreaking post on Facebook, Hunter’s dad shared a photo of his bedbound son after asking his friends for prayers
Barnes said they expect Hunter to be hospitalized for several weeks.
“Hunter barely survived, luckily he did. My son is a fighter,” the mother said in the description of one GoFundMe launched for Hunter.
Barnes wrote that she has been unable to work since the ordeal and that the GoFundMe will help cover all expenses related to the incident.
The fundraiser has raised just over $1,600 as of August 31.
In a heartbreaking post on Facebook, Hunter’s father shared a photo of his bedbound son after asking his friends for prayer.
“I’m sorry you have to deal with this, but keep your head up and stay strong. Everything will be fine. I thank the good Lord for taking care of my son that day. I love you, Hunter Ray,” Derek Bishop wrote.