kcentv.com - KCEN HD - Waco, Temple, and KilleenDog Attacks On The Rise: Keep Your Kids Safe

As the weather heats up, so does the threat of serious dog attacks.

It's a bigger problem than you may think: more than 400,000 attacks are reported each year in Texas and the majority of victims are kids.

"I was screaming help someone help me!" recalls 10-year-old Jack Barrett.

He will never forget the vicious dog attack that left him more than 40 puncture wounds and an unlimited number of emotional scars.

"The big one has this arm and then the little one has this one. He has sharper teeth than big one. They both have my arms I am pinned up against it. They are dragging me on the concrete- my back is being drug on the ground hard concrete," he said.

His terrifying story is far from unusual. At Scott & White in Temple 156 people visited the E.R. with serious dog bites last year.

Nine of the victims were in such bad condition they had to be hospitalized, undergoing reconstructive surgeries when needed.

"A lot of times unfortunately the dog's mouth and the child's head and neck line up perfectly," said Dr. Dominic Lucia at Scott & White Children's Hospital.

And it's not a stray dog problem - Jack was attacked by dogs at a friend's house. Two-year-old Jacqueline Osario was attacked by a relative's pet who destroyed the left side of her face.

"The majority, probably 75 percent, of those are owned animals meaning they're somebody's pet," said Sgt. Patrick Swanton with the Waco Police Dept.

Kids and animals are unpredictable, so the best advice is pay close attention to both. Many bites are preventable with supervision.

"Because it's not necessarily the dog's fault and it's not necessarily the child's fault, but they're both doing what's normal to them," Lucia said.

Keeping a close watch will help your child avoid suffering through an attack like the one Jack experienced.

"I was saying to myself I don't think I am going to make it - all the things I wanted to do in life - and I thought it is just going to end here," he said.

If you are attacked by a dog, there are ways to protect yourself from the worst amount of harm.

-Never provoke an animal, even if they are on the other side of a barrier or fence

-Keep your head as far away as possible

-Use any object you can find (bag, umbrella, stick) to shove in the dog's mouth, between you and the animal

-Do not make eye contact

-Lay down in a fetal position to show you are not a threat

Reporter: Rebecca Schleicher/Photographer: Thuan Nguyen

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