GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A young Grand Rapids boy has a long recovery ahead after he says a random dog bit his face.
"It bit my nose and it makes it hard to talk," Desean Bass said.
The 9-year-old showed bravery not long after going through one of the worst days of his life.
"The dog chased me, and it attacked me. It started biting me everywhere," Desean said.
Sunday afternoon, Desean was at a place he thought was safe: his school's playground, River City Scholars.
"We go to the park a lot," Desean's mother, Rosalyn Morgan, said.
It's a place where the school tells me dogs aren't allowed.
"So most of the time, people have the dogs on leash. I just didn't ... wouldn't expect anybody to want the dog to just be roaming free like that," Morgan added.
She held back her tears, knowing what her boy went through.
"On the ride to the hospital, here, your child praying hard," she added.
The young boy is now on the mend and back at home.
"This arm is kind of hard to move. I can't pick up stuff, and also, when it bit my nose, this lip doesn't move because it is swollen.
Morgan says while her son recovers, the dog responsible and its owner are still out there.
"We don't know if the dog had rabies. So my son has to go through a series of shots for vaccines for rabies," she explained.
Desean's scars go deeper than what you can see.
"He said he doesn't want a big dog anymore," Morgan said.
"I don't want to play with Juice anymore," Desean added.
"And Juice is my brother's dog. He is a pit. He used to love Juice," Morgan said.
The family hopes that sharing their story will motivate the owner to come forward.
"Turn yourself in so we can get justice for my son. ... He doesn't deserve this at all," Morgan said.
The family has reported this incident to Kent County Animal Control. Anyone with information about the dog or owner is asked to call the sheriff's office.
