PHOENIX — A young boy in Phoenix is on his road to recovery after he was attacked by a dog near 7th Street and Greenway Parkway on Saturday.
His family spoke with ABC15 on Monday. They thanked the community for rallying around their loved one.
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"Who did your boo-boo?” Kayla Archer asked her son.
“It's right here,” Desmond answered.
“Who did it?” Archer asked. “Oh, don't touch it.”
“A dog,” replied Desmond.
More than 48 hours after a dog attack, 2-year-old Desmond is back in his mother's arms.
"Everyone says, when it happens, you just never really think that something like that is going to happen. At first, I was anxious,” said Archer.
Archer was moving into her new apartment when she realized she had missed a few calls.
"I had like six missed calls. I tried to call back and they did not answer right away,” added Archer.
She said the calls were from a family friend who was watching her 2-year-old son. The friend wanted to let her know their dog had bitten Desmond.
"A balloon popped and caused the dog to attack him,” added Archer.
Archer says she rushed over to the friend's apartment. Emergency crews had already taken her boy to the hospital.
"I calmed myself down. I am thinking, at that point, 'oh it's a dog bite.' I am thinking maybe a couple of stitches or maybe he hit his head,” said Archer.
The young mother soon learned, after seeing Desmond at the hospital, that the injuries on his face were much more severe.
"He turned to me. My brain just went to (inaudible). He will never look the same,” she told ABC15.
Archer says her 2-year-old son is now recovering after his surgery.
"No parent could ever prepare for that. No parent could ever fathom (this). It hits me randomly. I am just like... I almost lost my baby,” added Archer.
ABC15 reached out to Phoenix police, a department spokesman says, “Phoenix Police did respond and speak to those involved. A report was authored and forwarded to the appropriate investigative detail. Notifications were also made to other entities regarding the child’s injury and them being a result of a dog bite.”
As for Archer, she told us the dog's owner is someone close to her and Desmond.
"We love them. They love us. We've had a conversation. They told me, 'you can be mad at me' and 'this was my fault.' My philosophy on that is being mad at you will do nothing for me,” added Archer.
For now, Archer is focused on medical care for her son. The family has set up an online fundraiser to help with expenses.
As for the dog, Archer said, police have not removed it from the friend’s home.
