CHARLOTTE — It has been 18 years since a Charlotte mother lost her 8-year-old son in a violent dog attack.
“He had the brightest smile. He was so warm. He loved everything outside and playing games. He loved being with his friends, and he loved being with his family,” Brown said.
Since then, Tameka Brown said she has started a foundation in her son’s name with the goal of helping prevent a similar tragedy.
Brown said Roddie Junior’s Watchdog Foundation helps children who have been bitten, injured or permanently disfigured after an attack by a dog.
Brown said her son, Roddie Dumas, was attacked by four pit bulls while playing in his grandmother’s yard 18 years ago.
She said the dogs belonged to Dumas’ father, and neither of the dogs were familiar with the home or Roddie.
“It was a horrific time in my life. Eight years old. You never think you’re going to lose a child to such a horrific incident,” Brown said.
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Dumas was a third-grader at Reedy Creek Elementary School at the time of the attack.
Brown said she started the foundation to raise awareness and help other young victims of dog attacks.
Brown hosted a gala in uptown Charlotte Saturday night. She said the proceeds will go towards medical expenses, pediatric reconstructive surgeries or funeral costs for future attack victims.
Proceeds will also go toward helping families afford mental health treatment from therapists like Leon Sankofa, owner of Family and Youth Foundations.
“You have families who are traumatized. You have post-traumatic stress, then you have secondary post-traumatic stress,” Sankofa said.
Brown said that trauma could impact families physically, emotionally, and financially.
She said her family hopes their efforts can prevent a lifetime of pain, in honor of a life cut short.
(WATCH BELOW: ‘He fought him off’: Charlotte 10-year-old recovering after dog attack)
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