HOWELL - It was just before 5:30 p.m. on Ryan Mangano's 9th birthday.

The boy and his grandmother were taking the family pet, Khloe, a 5-year-old Shih Tzu, on a quick walk on Feb. 22 before heading to Get Air, a trampoline park in Freehold where he'd celebrate his birthday.

See the photo gallery above to see photos of Khloe and her injuries

But the day took a horrific turn when an off-leash pit bull charged at Khloe, grabbed her body with his mouth and flipped her multiple times, said Cristy Mangano, Ryan's mother and the dog's owner. The incident occurred close to the family's home on Snow Chief Court in the Oak Hill development.

"(The dog) grabbed her, flipped her and pinned her to the ground. He kept biting her and biting her and biting her," Mangano said.

Mangano was nearby in her home vacuuming when one of her daughters alerted her to the screams. When she got to there, the dog had Khloe pinned to the ground and wouldn't let go.

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Mangano's mother, Janice Yocco, who tried to get the dog to let go of Khloe, was bitten on her left hand, leaving her with lacerations, according to reports from the Howell Police Department.

The dog saw Khloe, "started barking and became aggressive" before escaping its collar, according to the report. The dog ran at Khloe, attacked her and then jumped on Yocco, scratching and biting her, too.

Mangano told the Press her mother declined medical attention at the time to be with her five grandchildren, while Mangano rushed Khloe to Garden State Veterinarian Hospital in Tinton Falls. Yocco went to CentraState Medical Center in Freehold Township later in the evening, where she was treated for her injuries, Mangano said.

Yocco had to wrap her hand in a towel to control the bleeding, according to the police report. The dog also injured her knee and inner thigh, according to Mangano.

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Mangano estimates the dog, a 2-year-old pit bull named Blue, weighs at least 70 pounds, although there are no details about the dog's size in police reports.

Khloe is about 16 pounds, she said.

The man walking the dog, Michael Matthews, told police he was watching the dog for a friend who is incarcerated, according to reports. He did not have any "proper documents" for Blue and was advised by police to keep the dog quarantined in his home for 10 days.

Matthews was issued tickets for not having a dog license and for not having proof that a licensed veterinarian administered a rabies vaccine to the dog, court records show. He's scheduled to appear in Howell Municipal Court on March 29.

A Howell Township ordinance prohibits owners from letting their dogs roam free in public. A "notification of animal bite to human" was sent to the Monmouth County Board of Health, records show.

Matthews could not immediately be reached Wednesday.

Khloe was up-to-date on her vaccinations, Mangano said.

A long recovery

Khloe returned to her home in Howell the next day, but went back a day or two later when the family noticed she wouldn't eat or drink. She's been in the hospital since Feb. 24.

"We all just want her home," Mangano said.

Khloe's homecoming will depend on how quickly her wounds heal, Mangano said. She's had multiple staples, stitches and drain tubes put in. Miraculously, her legs weren't injured, Mangano said.

Ryan, whose birthday was ruined by the incident, has an autism spectrum disorder and was traumatized by the attack he witnessed, Mangano said.

"He has autism, so he doesn't understand what's going on. Now he's afraid of every dog," she said. "He's having a really difficult time adapting to this. Since then, he's been having trouble in school and cries at night, upset over it."

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Mangano said her son is now afraid of all dogs.

"My dog was screeching in pain. To relive it is awful," Mangano said. "What was supposed to be a birthday day for my son turned out to be a bloodbath."

Meanwhile, the vet bills are more than $4,000, Mangano said.

A GoFundMe was set up by a family friend to help pay for Khloe's bills.

"It was really horrific," she said. "It's really a mess and it all comes down to one irresponsible person not leashing their dog. I've heard 100 stories about this."

Kala Kachmar: @NewsQuip; 732-643-4061; kkachmar@app.com

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