An 11-year-old football player suffered more than a dozen open wounds after a pack of dogs attacked him while he was outside with his best friend.
Banner O’Berry of Atkinson, Georgia, had been with his teammate Sunday when their four-wheeler broke down. As the boys got off to repair it, they saw three dogs running toward them, his mother, Jessica O’Berry, said in a Facebook post.
The boys climbed onto the four-wheeler after realizing the dogs were charging at them, but one animal grabbed O’Berry by the ankle and “snatched him off,” his mother said. The other two dogs then joined the attack as Banner tried to defend himself with a pair of pliers he had nearby.
“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 said his friend remained at his side, “doing absolutely everything in his power to get those dogs away.”
O’Berry sustained 17 open wounds to his legs and underwent three and a half hours of surgery at Coffee Regional Medical Center.
Jessica O’Berry said her son called her from the ambulance while he was “hurting like hell” and asked her to contact his football coach to say he would not be able to complete the season.
READ MORE: The View’s Sara Haines Reveals “Brutal” Reason for Her Absence
The three dogs were taken into custody by the Atkinson County Sheriff’s Office for a 10-day hold, Chief Danial Knapik told The Post.
Knapik said one of the dogs has been identified as a pit bull, while the other two are believed to be hound and terrier mixed breeds.
The sheriff’s office has begun court proceedings to have the dogs classified as “vicious animals,” and notification paperwork has been served to their owners, according to Knapik.
O’Berry is recovering from the attack and was able to attend his team’s Sept. 16 football game, cheering from the sideline in a wheelchair.
“This warmed my heart!” his mom wrote as she shared photos of him at the game, with visible bandages on his legs.