A 6-year-old boy has been released from Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital after being mauled by two dogs last Sunday.

The child was attacked by the two dogs at his grandmother’s house on Stanfill Drive in Columbia where the two animals lived.

The boy was inside a fenced yard with the two dogs when the attack occurred, just as his family was returning home and letting the animals outside.

Reese Howell, a relative of the property owner, told reporters that two men saw the dogs attack the boy and intervened.

“He saved the little boy’s life, Reese told WKRN-TV. “He and his best friend fought for several minutes with the big dogs to get them off of the boy. They they are true heroes. The little boy would not be alive if it weren’t for those two.”

Maury County Animal Control Director Jack Cooper told reporters the owner of the two animals surrendered custody of the dogs to Maury County Animal Services, and they have since been euthanized.

“It all happened very quickly,” Cooper told WZTV.

Cooper says one of the dogs was the primary attacker but the second dog also bit the child. They were described as pit bull type dogs.

“This was a pretty gruesome dog attack,” Cooper told news outlets. “In addition to being so vicious we had little choice but to euthanize the dogs.”

The two dogs were euthanized the night of the attack.

Cooper says the incident brings to light a need for a dangerous animal ordinance in Maury County.

“We can better protect the public from habitually dangerous pets,” Cooper said.

Previous attacks

In March 2016, a 53-year-old woman was mauled viciously by two pit bulls in rural Maury County

Teresa Humphrey of 3367 R.O. Peach Rd. near Theta was sent by helicopter to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville after suffering visible injuries to her arms and legs.

The dogs’ owner, Jose Ocambo, was arrested and charged with a felony, having an animal running at large with bodily injury. He was released after posting $20,000 bond.

“It’s very important for people who live in the country to keep their pets up, not let them run free,” Maury County Sheriff Bucky Rowland told The Daily Herald. “If an incident with a pet causes bodily injury, the owner will be facing serious charges.”

In April 2016, Hailey Morton, 5, was at home playing outside when a neighbor’s dog, a 90-pound Doberman Pinscher named Pilot, jumped the rusty wire fence dividing the two properties and attacked Hailey, biting her face.

After the attack, she was rushed by ambulance to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Due to the severity of her 3 1/2-inch laceration and four puncture wounds, a LifeFlight helicopter remained on call during the trip.

“It’s something I never want to see again,” said Carolyn Morton, Hailey’s mother. “I’d much rather have it be me instead, but she is a tough little thing.”

A month later, a Columbia man was airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center after being attacked by his neighbor’s dog.

Robert Pease, 40, was mowing his yard when he discovered his neighbor’s dog, a gray male pit bull, was lose in his yard.

According to a report filed by Columbia Police officer Jesse Hughes, Pease said the dog barked and then attacked him, biting him multiple times.

The dog’s owner, Kerry Brown, was not in his home when the attack occurred but he arrived shortly after the attack and was able to take control of the dog and put it in the house, according to the report.

Brown was then able to chose whether the dog would be quarantined at the Maury County Animal Control or in his own home for the following 10 days. Brown chose to keep the animal under his own supervision, promising to keep the dog within the confines of his home for the 10-day period.