A six-year-old boy has suffered horror injuries after being viciously attacked by a dog.
Rhys Jones was hospitalised for five days after attempting to get his football back when it went over a garden fence.
He had been playing with a friend when his ball went into a neighbouring garden.
Upon attempting to retrieve his football, a dog - believed to be a Staffordshire Bull Terrier - lunged at the young Liverpool fan, biting him on the arms and legs.
It was only when another dog attacked the terrier that Rhys was relinquished, reports Wales Online.
Police are investigating the incident.
He was taken to hospital where he was found to have an infected bite in his foot and broken bones.
But after spending five days in a hospital bed, Rhys is terrified to look at his own injuries.
His grandfather Anthony Rowlands said his grandson, from Carmarthen, Wales, is lucky to be alive.
He said: "One of my daughters was watching Rhys after school at her home."
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"I had just finished work and all of a sudden my daughter called in a panic to say that Rhys was on his way to hospital.
"I was absolutely mortified and went straight there. When I walked into the room I held Rhys. His eyes were going white. The doctor said it was because he was so scared."
Rhys has since undergone an operation on his foot and has to wear a protective boot for around six weeks following the incident, which happened on the afternoon of Monday, April 1.
The schoolboy spent the next five days in hospital and has been off school since.
Mr Rowlands says the horror of what happened to his grandson has been amplified in the past week after a tragic incident last Saturday, when nine-year-old Frankie Macritchie died after being attacked by a dog at a caravan park in Cornwall.
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Mr Rowlands is convinced that, had it not been for the actions of the other dog in the garden, Rhys would have suffered the same fate.
He said: "That other dog saved him, without a doubt.
“That dog knew Rhys because he’d seen him plenty of times before. Rhys was bitten a number of times before the other dog reacted, and I believe, hand on heart, that if that hadn’t happened then Rhys would not be here now.
"A man who lived next door then picked Rhys up and carried him into the kitchen, but he was bleeding everywhere.
"When you read about that tragedy last week when a young boy was killed - he was older, bigger and stronger than Rhys, who’s only six - it makes you realise what could have happened."
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Rhys, a huge Liverpool fan who loves to play football outside at every opportunity, still needs to wear his protective boot for another month or so and he has to return to the hospital next week.
As well as the clear physical scars sustained in the attack, what might be more difficult to see and more difficult to cure are the mental scars, which have left the schoolboy “petrified”.
Mr Rowlands said: "Rhys grew up with a dog, so he’s used to being around them all the time.
"He’s never been afraid of dogs or anything. But, the other day, when he saw a neighbour’s dog - only a small, gentle dog - he screamed.
"He’s also too frightened to look at his own foot. When I was giving him a cuddle in the hospital, he kept asking ‘why did the dog bite me?’
"He’s petrified.
"He is such a loving and caring little boy and he loves animals.
“That’s why had no issue going into the garden to get the ball back. Right now, he’s very frightened; we can only hope that the long-term effects won’t be too damaging.”
