11-Year-Old Fights Off Aggressive Pit Bulls To Protect Little Sister [Video]

Maleik, 11, and his 5-year-old sister Jalia were walking to their school bus stop together on Monday morning when two unleashed pit bulls ran at the children. Maleik was badly injured when he bore the brunt of the attack to protect his little sister from the aggressive dogs.

“It hurt my soul,” says Willi Carr, describing the deep wounds that now scar his son. “It was very hard not crying in front of him because he was already so strong, and I wanted him to continue being strong.”

Maleik and Jalia were walking through their backyard to the school bus stop. Normally, a chain link fence keeps a safe distance between the children and the neighbors’ two unleashed pit bulls. But, on Monday, the fence was “marked by a massive hole.” As the children passed by, both dogs slipped through the hole and began to attack Jalia.

“The brown and white dog ran to the other side, jumped out of the fence and the black one did too, and they started snapping at Jalia. So I ran over there, started kicking them away from her, and they bit me. And I told Jalia to run,” says Maleik.

As his little sister ran for safety, Maleik picked up a toy chair left in the yard and used it to fend off the dogs. Reports say that the Jalia’s chair saved her brother’s life. He then hopped over another fence where his older sister picked him up and transported him to the hospital.

Maleik’s legs took the brunt of the attack, sustaining 23 bites. His hands and arms also sustained bite injuries. According to his father’s Facebook page, the boy also underwent surgery.

Maleik’s mother Sherry Carr described her feelings about the attack: “I was hurt, scared, and after all was said and done, angry because more care wasn’t taken to make sure these dogs didn’t hurt anyone.”

The dogs are a real concern for the couple, whose ten children often play in the backyard. But, in light of the attack, both parents feel a sense of pride in the actions of their children.

“They will react to protect each other at all costs. It makes me so proud. It makes me so proud to have this hero in my house,” says Sherry.