'This needs to change' | Rowan County mom doesn't want dog that attacked her son to be returned to its owner

ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. — A Rowan County family is recovering from a frightening dog attack that sent a boy to Levine Children's Hospital for treatment recently.

Mallory Suggs says her two boys were playing in the yard one afternoon. What should have been an otherwise usual playtime, however, took a terrible turn when a neighbor's dog got out and went right for the kids.

8-year-old Abel was able to push his brother out of the dog's way. But Suggs, just feet away, said he ended up taking the brunt of the attack.

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"I'll never get that out of my mind," she told WCNC Charlotte, "and Abel's screaming -- absolutely horrific. The dog had him in his mouth and was shaking and growling. I'll never be able to unsee any of it."

The dog seems to have escaped from the neighbor's yard by getting through a makeshift fix to a fence. Abel showed WCNC Charlotte the area he was attacked in and the scars on his arms.

Abel had 21 stitches and was left with two deep puncture wounds, along with the possibility of surgery. But Suggs has another worry too: the dog that attacked her son could be released back to the owner.

"I just don't want it to happen again," she said. "I think this needs to change. If there's a dog or animal that harms anyone to this extent, it should not go back to the owner."

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WCNC Charlotte reached out to the Rowan County Animal Shelter for more information. The shelter said any animal that bites someone has to be quarantined for 10 days to ensure it doesn't have rabies, and the dog has been declared potentially dangerous because of how severe the attack on Abel was.

However, the dog won't be returned to the owner unless the owner takes certain actions. A fence measuring 10 feet wide and 10 feet tall must be built on a concrete slab, and it has to be padlocked and have a roof. The owner will also need to post signs reading "beware of dog" near where the dog is located.

The only other way for the owner to get the dog back is to appeal the decision to keep the dog in the shelter.