Cedar Rapids boy survives vicious dog attack, mother raises awareness on importance of responsible pet ownership

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Jeramias Robinson was returning a scooter to his neighbor on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids last Thursday when, unexpectedly, the neighbor’s pit bull ran from the front door straight to the eight year old.

“I tried to run away but the dog got me and bit my arm,” said Jeramias.

His mother, Bridgette Williams Robinson, says the sweatshirt he was wearing at the time protected him from even deeper, more dangerous bites.

“It could have been a lot worse,” said Robinson. “The dog that grabbed his arm could’ve grabbed his face and who knows how bad that could have been.”

Robinson said the dog’s owner surrendered the dog and it was put down.

“They chose to put their dog down because they said they felt like they couldn’t help with bills and things like that. So their solution was to euthanize it,” said Robinson.

As Jeramias recovers, this is only the start. With serious bite marks on his arm and even his nose, more trips to the doctor will follow.

Robinson started a Go Fund Me and people have responded with more than $6,000 as of Wednesday night.

“It makes me feel really good just knowing that the community wants to help,” said Jeramias.

Some Iowa cities, including in Linn County, ban certain dog breeds to try and prevent an attack like this.

Robinson is taking this as an opportunity just to remind people to be responsible pet owners.

“If you know you have a dog that might bite, make sure it’s chained up, make sure you keep it secure, make sure you have insurance so if something does happen, you not going to be responsible for somebody else’s medical bills that you can’t help with,” she said. “Because you don’t know the financial situation of that own family.”

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