Boy one step from death after dog attack

A 10-year-old boy is working hard toward recovery after his arm was torn apart by a dog while his family was camping at Jellystone Park in Marshall County.

In pictures you can actually see exposed muscle hanging out of Dawson Crittendon's arm.

One of the 22 bites was just one centimeter away from an artery, which would have surely killed him.

"This is considered a level 5 attack," Dawson's dad, Shawn Crittendon, said. "The next, level 6 is death."

Luckily things didn't get quite to that point and Dawson Crittendon is still a happy 10-year-old. Even just days after being attacked by a dog.

"I didn't do anything to it, but I petted it on the head," Dawson said. "He came up right from behind me and tackled me down and then started biting my arm...Till my dad smacked him in the head...The owner tried pulling him back...The dog bit his owner and then ran right back at me and tackled me again."

He's still learning what he can and can't do after the attack. Physical therapy has him trading his Xbox One controller for Connect Four, as he struggles to regain certain motor controls.

"Because I want my arm to feel like this one again," Dawson said. "And it's kind of feeling like it but it still has a little, like this much, of pain left."

Now, the family wants the dog put down because they don't want anyone else going through the same thing.

"I usually don't like dogs dying," Dawson said. "But it hurt me really bad, so I guess if it be put down, I would probably be a lot happier because of my arm...I don't really want to see that dog ever again."

The family made a list of rules for dogs they would like to be implemented at Jellystone, and they were told the issue would come up at their next meeting in August.