Brave Six-Year-Old Protects His Younger Sister From Vicious Dog Attack

A brave boy aged six years old has reportedly saved his younger sister from a dog attack, proving that six-year-olds can also be heroes. The boy defended his sister from the charging dog and spared her from harm. He survived the ordeal with multiple bites from the dog.

Bridger, six years of age, stood between the angry charging dog and his sister. Their aunt on Instagram shared the story. The IG account is owned by Nikki Walker (@nicolenoelwalker). In her post, she says her nephew was bitten many times on his head and his face.

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Hey, all. Please, share my nephew's story so that it gets as much exposure as it can. We know that our little hero would love some words of encouragement from his favorite heroes. On July 9th, my six year old nephew Bridger saved his little sister's life by standing between her and a charging dog. After getting bit several times on the face and head, he grabbed his sister's hand and ran with her to keep her safe. He later said, "If someone had to die, I thought it should be me." After receiving 90 stitches (give or take) from a skilled plastic surgeon, he's finally resting at home. We love our brave boy and want all the other superheroes to know about this latest hero who joined their ranks. @tomholland2013 @chrishemsworth @robertdowneyjr @markruffalo @prattprattpratt @twhiddleston @chadwickboseman @vindiesel @chrisevans EDIT: I just finished visiting with Bridger at his home. His wounds are looking so much better! He's in great spirits, and his awesome personality is intact. He can't smile too widely yet, but he was grinning as I read some of your comments to him. I'd also like to mention here that the dog's owners are really great people who have been nothing but kind to Bridger and his family. We feel no resentment toward them at all, and-if anything-there's only been an increase of love between our families as a result of this incident. EDIT 2: Once again we're blown away by the amazing comments and messages that Bridger's receiving. I've had lots of inquiries about a GoFundMe. Bridger's family has asked that any one wishing to help out financially can, instead, donate to @mission_22 or @wwp. Bridger is also a huge fan of Science, especially Geology. So I'm going to start a post where people can share with him pictures of cool rocks that they see. EDIT 3: Once again, everyone's kindness has meant so much to us. I'm trying to get to all of the messages that I can, but it may take some time. For those who have inquired about sending Bridger some rocks, here's the address to use: Bridger Walker P.O. Box 22141 Cheyenne, WY 82003 #BridgerStrong A post shared by Nikki Walker (@nicolenoelwalker) on Jul 12, 2020 at 8:53am PDT

Walker added that after being bitten many times by the dog, her nephew grabbed the hand of her niece and ran away with her to ensure her safety. Also, according to the IG post, Bridger told his aunt Nikki after the ordeal that he thought that if anybody had to die, it should be him.

According to reports, Bridger needed over 90 stitches for his wounds. He is currently back home and recuperating. His injuries are healing nicely, and he is in high spirits.

Dog bites are a real concern worldwide. In 2018 in the US, there have been a total of 76,811,305 dogs, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. It is worth noting that 38.4% of all households in the country own a dog. Each of these households has an average of 1.6 dogs, making the incidence of bites highly likely.

There are roughly 4.7 million dog bites each year in the US. The AVMA says that bites are mainly due to the dogs' behavior and personal history. Dogs that have been maltreated or abused, especially in shelters, have been traumatized, and this predisposes them to be more defensive than usual, and to consequently be prone to attack.

However, only 800,000 dog bites require medical attention. Taking the 2017 statistics of the US population into account, the country has over 325.7 million people, which means that dogs bite one person out of 69 people. In truth, dog bites are rarely fatal or relatively dangerous. Statistics in 2019 says that only one out of 112,400 people who are bitten by dogs die from the attack.

A storm is much deadlier than a dog bite, with one person out of 66,335 dying from cyclones. Regarding bee, hornet, and wasp stings, one out of 63,225 people die. Meanwhile, transportation accidents kill one out of 9,821. One in 6,905 people dies from guns. 

In addition, according to 2020 statistics, one out of 3,461 people die from food choking, and one out of seven die from cancer or heart disease.

In 2018, only 38 fatalities were linked to dog bites in the US. In comparison, however, there were 976 deaths of pedestrians, 1,738 deaths from child neglect and abuse, and 3,710 deaths from drowning.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC, its 2018 statistics showed that tethered and chained dogs are more susceptible to biting or attacking people by 2.8 times more than other dogs. This is especially true for dogs that came from unsuitable and bad conditions, such as in puppy mills where dogs are treated inhumanely, and where abuse and neglect are common.