HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — "It's like a scream I can't even explain. It was awful."
Ashley Pace and Greg Pearce had just gone inside their Huntersville home last week when they said they heard screaming and barking.
Their kids were still playing outside, and Pearce said he ran out when he heard the commotion.
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He said he saw Pace's 6-year-old son running, and then saw a neighbor's dog on top of him.
"Right about here, in front of the mailboxes, the dog tackled him. Got his legs, brought him to the ground and just kept biting him. He was screaming, kicking, hitting," Pearce said.
According to the Huntersville police report, the dog knocked the boy down and bit his left leg.
"He had blood dripping from his face, and it was all through his pants, and I panic and pick him up and bring him into the kitchen and start stripping him down," Pace said. "He’s just screaming, 'It was biting me. It was biting me,' and he had bite marks all over his legs."
Police said there are conflicting reports of how the attack happened, with one report saying the boy tripped over the dog and another saying the dog, while on a leash, escaped its owner.
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Eventually, the owner regained control of the dog.
Now, the family is concerned about what's next.
"We definitely don’t want to see any harm come to a dog, but at this point, it’s just a matter of this happening again," Pearce said.
He said another neighbor claimed she was bitten by the same dog but didn't report it to police.
Since the dog was on a leash and had received a rabies shot, police said the owner was not cited in this case.
"I just want to see something be done, that’s all," Pearce said.
The Mecklenburg County Health Department is involved in this case and reminds the public to report all animal bites to authorities so that animal control can investigate. The department said this is the first reported bite for this dog.
Officials said the bulldog is currently in a 10-day quarantine at the owner's home. The Health Department said it will contact the family if the dog shows any rabies symptoms during this time.