Man in Wheelchair Mauled By Dogs

Curtis Brady choked up when he recalled the horrifying moments of Sunday afternoon from his hospital bed at Erlanger Medical Center. The 29 year old father, who is a paraplegic, took his three year old son C.J. out for a long ride around the neighborhood on Fredonia Mountain to enjoy the beautiful day.

But Brady says two pit bulldogs came from the woods to a curve in the road and immediately started biting his feet. Although he is a paraplegic with an hereditary condition similar to muscular dystrophy, he does have feeling in his lower legs. Brady's father, Robert Brady, described the damage done by the bulldogs. "When I got there, it looked like hamburger meat you would see at Bi-Lo." The elder Brady went on to say that doctors told him if the skin graft surgery didn't happen his son could lose his feet. And just about three months ago, his father said Curtis had just started getting around with the use of a walker.

But on Sunday afternoon, Curtis Brady's instincts as a father kicked in. "They wanted him (C.J.) butg I would not give him up," Brady said. He said as soon as the two pit bulldogs started biting he hoisted C.J. up to his right shoulder and held him there, operating the joystick on his electric wheelchair with his left hand.

C.J. had only a scar on the top of one of his feet. But Curtis Brady is scheduled of skin graft surgery on both legs from the knees down. And he says he has no animosity toward the dog's owner, Lisa Bolden and her boyfriend, Greg Sims. Brady said he and Sims were friends but would not wish this to happen to anyone. Brady added if anyone owns dogs that are ill tempered like this they need to have them on a leash.

But Sequatchie County does not have a leash ordinance or a kennel. Sheriff Robert Hitchcock says that makes for a big problem. Sherif Hitchcock says his department cited Bolden on a state violation for dogs running at large. Sheriff Hitchcock says Bolden told his responding officer that both dogs had their shots. Sheriff Hitchcock says she was advised to keep the dogs on a leash for 14 days to find out if any signs of rabies were detected in the dogs or Mr. Brady.

Neighbors and the attack victim himself say the dogs had not been a problem in the past. We are investigating one other claim they had posed a threat. Although Brady says he has no animosity against the owner, his father says the family will pursue civil action.