Mum whose son’s face was torn apart by pit bulls shares warning to other parents

20 October 2023 , 09:41

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10 years and seven operations later, Hunter is considering getting his own dog (Image: Jam Press Vid)

A mum whose son’s face was torn open by a pit bull has sent out a strong warning to fellow parents.

Hunter Kilbourn was only 10 when the victim of a gruesome dog attack by two pit bulls who ripped open his scalp. The young boy had been playing around at his neighbour’s house that day when the incident occurred back in 2013.

Now mum Melody has warned other parents to be wary of other people’s pets - and described the moment her son asked if he was going to die. “He went to the neighbour’s house to play video games with his friend,” San Francisco nurse Melody explained.

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“He was let into their home and began to go upstairs. There was one dog that was at the top of the stairs, and it lunged down at him and started attacking him. At that time the second dog ran inside from the backyard and ran up the stairs and began attacking the back of his head and arms,” she added.

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

Mum whose son’s face was torn apart by pit bulls shares warning to other parents

Hunter's face was torn apart - and he had to have it fully reconstructed (Jam Press Vid)

Hunter has spent much of his childhood recovering from operations (Jam Press Vid)

The neighbour ran next door to warn Melody what happened before she immediately called 911, and the dad of Hunter’s friend carried him round with a towel over his face. “That moment traumatised me forever,” Melody recalled, “My son was missing half his face, most of his ear, his eyebrow, his eyelid.”

She continued: “I was even able to see his skull behind his eye. The other side of his face was missing a chunk of his cheek. Hunter looked at me and said ‘Mama am I going to die?’ The ambulance and firefighters soon arrived, and told me that they believed he had a fractured skull as well as bites on his arms, face, and back of his head.”

An air ambulance rushed Hunter to UC Davis Health - California’s only level 1 trauma centre. Over the course of seven operations, Hunter underwent multiple skin grafts and reconstructive surgeries. Skin was taken from Hunter’s groin and grafted to the right side of his face to create a new eyelid. He also had his lower left ear and lobe re-attached.

This was Hunter before the dog attack and surgeries (Jam Press)

“The surgeries were all successful, and after a lot of prayer he eventually regained movement in his face,” Melody said. “Though, the vision in his eye has been affected, and he can only slightly see out of that one.

“After he was discharged from the hospital, we had weekly appointments as well as a few more surgeries, which included scalp revision. The dogs took out such an enormous chunk of his scalp that his scalp needed to be sliced open and re-closed to be tighter.”

He had reconstructions and skin grafts all around his head (Jam Press)

Hunter was initially scared to go home after the attack. But Melody fought and won a legal battle to have the dog owners put their pets down - which they were refusing to do. Her son has attended therapy for PTSD and trauma healing, compensated by the pet owner’s “trust fund from the home insurance policy”

She said: “It wasn’t much and not nearly what it should be for the long-lasting life effects it has done on his physical and mental health. The dog owners were more concerned about keeping their dogs alive and fought hard to not have their dogs put down. But I got a lawyer and fought back.

Hunter, now 20, is fully recovered with no need for new surgeries - and wants his own dog (Jam Press)

Hunter and his siblings are a happy family - and no longer in the same home (Jam Press)

“I spoke at a city hearing and explained how dangerous the dogs were, what happened, and the damage they did to my son. But that [case] was closed years ago.”

Now 20 years old, Hunter has recovered and no longer requires medical follow ups - however he will live with scars forever. The young man, who has always wanted a dog, is now considering getting one of his own.

Melody added: “We do not own any dogs but are okay being around familiar dogs of certain breeds that belong to our friends. We do cross the street if someone is walking their dog. However, besides the PTSD and trauma, Hunter has recently said how he would like a dog of his own in the future.”