A Lakeside third-grader on her way to school was bitten by a dog and taken to a hospital Wednesday.
Alex Green, 8, was walking in the 9200 block of Lakeview Road at West Lakeview at about 8:30 a.m. when two dogs ran up to her and one of them bit her.
“I was scared and I was screaming,” Alex told NBC San Diego in an exclusive interview.
Alex’s 10-year-old brother Donny knew he had to do something to save her.
“I grabbed a rock and then I threw it, the first time I missed I got the other one and I threw it and hit it in the side but it didn’t stop.”
At that point a Good Samaritan saw what was happening and got out of his truck.
He yelled ‘Hey!’ and one [dog] ran across the street and one ran back,” Donny said.
Local
Animal Services Officers said the man was not bitten.
Alex was bitten once in the calf and once on her achilles. Her injuries required about a dozen stitches.
Even so Alex remained calm throughout the ordeal.
It’s no surprise to Alex’s mom that the third grader is so resilient, because she is a cancer survivor.
“Unfortunately the cancer had spread so far, that we lost her left eye, she has a prosthetic,” said Samantha Green.
She also isn’t surprised that her son did everything he could to save his sister.
When Alex was diagnosed with cancer at the age of two, Donny helped his sister any way he could.
“He would help give her shots for her immunity booster so he’s always been there for her,” Samantha said with pride in her eyes.
The dogs were taken into custody in a Bonita shelter. One was a three-legged chocolate Labrador and one was a shepherd-chow mix.
They will be quarantined for 10 days while Animal Control investigates.
The owners of the dogs stopped by the hospital to apologize to Alex and her family.
Alex’s mom doesn’t want the dogs to be euthanized. “We forgive them, but the dogs need to be restrained,” Samantha said.
A neighbor at the house where the dogs live said she called sheriff's deputies about six months ago when the chocolate lab, "Bear," was harassing her. She said the dog charged the deputy, who shot it. Bear was returned to his owner later missing a leg.
Coincidentally, this week is National Dog Bite Prevention Week.
A spokesperson with Stop the Bite said dog bites are one of the top ten causes of injury to children.
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