MINNEAPOLIS— A minneapolis mother risked her life to protect her children during a vicious dog attack.
Angel Rivers and her two sons, Marcal, 8, and Kani Jr, 3, still bear the bandages and scars from the brutal bites.
“My injuries were life threatening and they didn’t know what the outcome would be, but sometimes your body has more strength than you think because I fought for my children,” Rivers said.
Last month, the boys were on their trampoline in north Minneapolis when she said a neighbor’s pit bull jumped with them. A second pit bull circled around, barking.
“They just came out of nowhere,” Marcal said.
WCCO
Rivers says maternal instinct took over.
“I just thought, ‘Oh no, my babies are in trouble.'” she said. “I knew I’m going to have to fight, and I’m going to have to fight very hard.”
The dogs tore both her arms apart to the bone and mutilated her foot. She underwent several operations and had to learn to walk again.
Marcal escaped with a few bites to his leg and called for help.
“He did a good job,” Rivers said. “I am so proud of him.”
Kani had part of his face torn open.
“I just love floating over it [Kani] because I’m like, ‘Well, if anything happens to me, I’m going to fall for him and everything will be fine,'” Rivers said.
Finally, relief came in the form of a good Samaritan neighbor.
“There was a sign there, I picked it up and waved it at the dogs trying to get them off her,” Ron Swengel, their neighbor, told WCCO last month.
“We really live in an area where people look out for other people,” Rivers said. “[Ron] essentially put himself on the line as well.”
Rivers says it could take a year for her to fully heal.
“I can’t pick up things, so I can’t pick up my little baby,” she said.
The dogs were euthanized. Rivers has not yet spoken to their owner.
She has started an online fundraiser to help with medical bills.
Rivers says she feels “very blessed… like God has his arms around us.”
David Schuman
