But on Sunday afternoon, London was viciously attacked by
two pit bulls that got loose from a nearby yard. The 5-year-old was bitten so
hard, doctors thought she was going to lose her leg. It was her 12-year-old
brother, Jahmir, who is being hailed as a hero for coming to his sister's help.
"These two dogs came and just ran up, we don't know
where they came from, they just started chasing my three little cousins,
brother, and sister," Jahmir said.
The incident, which has left London hospitalized at
Jersey City Medical Center, is allegedly the third time the owner's dogs have
attacked people, police said.
Jahmir, a fifth grade student at School 40, said at least
one dog latched onto London's leg while he told his younger brother Tahir, 8,
to jump a fence to get away from the dogs.
As the children were screaming for help, a neighbor threw
his cane out of a window so Jahmir could use it to get the dog off London.
Their mother, Tyiesha Johnson, was inside cooking and
realized the yelling wasn't the normal sound of children playing in the yard.
When she knew her children were in trouble, she ran out of the house without
her shoes to fight off the dogs, she said.
Johnson estimates the dogs were attacking for about five
minutes before running back to a yard on Myrtle Avenue. Her oldest son carried
London inside and police arrived at the building at about 3:30 p.m.
Police said there was a "pool of blood" in the
backyard and saw three dogs were going in and out of the Myrtle Avenue home
through a window. Two of the dogs still had blood on their mouths, throats, and
chests, according to a police report from the incident.
When animal control arrived to help secure the dogs, one
of the officers immediately recognized the animals from previous attacks. The
owner, 37-year-old James Grant, was arrested on 12 open warrants, including six
failures to appear in court on charges of having unlicensed dogs, according to
a police report.
Grant's dogs have attacked people at least two other
times, causing "serious bleeding," with the victims described as
"bleeding very badly." He was issued 10 summonses for not properly
licensing and caring for vicious dogs, police said.
At least one of the dogs involved in Sunday's attack has
been euthanized, city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said.
Johnson said the dogs bit so hard that her daughter's leg
and knee were broken. She wants dog owners to be held accountable when their
animals brutally attack, especially young children.
"I want to make sure this doesn't happen to any more
kids," Johnson said.
Last month, an 8-year-old boy had his ear bitten off by a
pit bull while he played in a backyard on Ocean Avenue. Johnson hopes to start
a petition to keep aggressive animals away from children.
Johnson said the children are shaken up from the attack,
with some having nightmares of dogs biting them. London had a second surgery
Tuesday morning and doctors are hopeful she will be released later this week,
Johnson said.
London, a kindergarten student, faces weeks of physical
therapy and it's still not clear how long it will take before she has movement
in her leg again, her mother said.
But despite the serious injuries, Johnson fears it could
have been much worse had Jahmir not been there to protect his little sister.
"If it weren't for him, I don't think she would have
made it," Johnson said while standing next to a walkway stained with her
daughter's blood.
Asked how it feels to be a hero big brother, Jahmir --
who was also treated at the hospital for dog bites to his thigh -- smirked:
"It feels good."
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