Man mauled by dogs nearly dies, family says he’ll need reconstructive surgery
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CHUNCHULA, Alabama (WALA) — As Eric Roney made a familiar trek down a dirt road just outside of his family’s home early Tuesday morning in Chunchula, the 33-year-old man fell prey to a pack of vicious dogs.
At least five dogs ambushing him, leaving him with hundreds of puncture wounds down to the bottom of his feet, according to his family.
An attack so grisly, Roney was left on the brink of death.
His family telling FOX10 News, he coded in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, doctors even told his mother to call family because they didn’t think he would survive.
“5 minutes more on that road, if it hadn’t been for Donald, he would have died right there on that road,” said his grandfather, Myland Johnson.
Roney’s grandfather says his son heard the commotion and thought the dogs might have cornered a black bear.
“Bout 2:00 in the morning he heard the dogs barking and raising cane. And as he got down there, almost to him, he could see Eric laying on the ground in a fetal position and the dogs just eating on him.”
His uncle took us to the exact spot of the gruesome attack.
He says at least five dogs were on top of Roney mauling him.
“There’s not hardly a place on his body that’s not eaten,” said Johnson.
While they have no idea how long the attack lasted, Roney’s family says it was so horrific the man needed seven units of blood, he’ll need multiple surgeries, including reconstructive surgery on his face and ears, but his condition is so unstable doctors have only been able to sedate and intubate him.
The dogs are hound mixes.
They came from a home less than a mile from where Roney lives.
Mobile County Animal Control says they’ve been called to the home once before when the dogs were running loose in March of 2020, but neighbors say this isn’t the first time they’ve had problems with them.
Animal control says they are not certain how many dogs attacked Roney, but took seven from the home to be euthanized.
A family member of the person who owns the dogs tells FOX10 News they got out after the power went out on an electric fence.
He says the dogs are trained to be guard dogs.
It will be a long road to recovery for Roney.
His family has set up a GoFundMe to help with medical expenses.
Roney’s grandfather pleads with people who have aggressive dogs to do something about it, at the very least make sure they can’t get out to hurt others.
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