Three-year-old Will Baggett spends a lot of time in Fayetteville seeing doctors and plastic surgeons. The physical healing process is coming along remarkably, but his scarred face, neck, and legs are still a reminder of the traumatic day.
While in the care of a family member, Baggett was attacked by the sitter's boyfriend's dog. The family member fought to keep the dog off the child and deputies tried to shoot it, but the dog got away. It was later sent to an animal shelter.
Baggett's mother said emotionally he is still traumatized and suffers from nightmares of the attack. She describes his behavior as often skittish, especially around animals.
"He's afraid of dogs. He keeps saying, 'I'm not a toy. That dog bite me'," mom Ginger Baggett said.
In addition to the psychological scars, the family has more than $70,000 left in medical bills. The child should be ready for cosmetic surgery in the next six months. He may get laser surgery or saline stretch, where skin is taken from his back to help patch scars. Either way, most of his scars will always be there.
"I wish I'd just taken him with me to the grocery store. I just miss his little dimple," mother Ginger Baggett said."I asked the plastic surgeon, 'Can we get that back?' and she said, 'I don't know.'"
She also said she is having trouble finding a local psychologist to see a 3 year old.
The dog in the attack was euthanized less than two weeks ago, which was the owner's decision. The Sampson County Sheriff's Office had labeled the dog as dangerous.
In Sampson County, if a dog labeled as dangerous is not inside, it would have to be leashed wherever it goes. If the dog was kept in the backyard, the fence would have to be secure so that neither the dog or someone other than the owner could get in.
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