Marcus Porter, 10, was mauled by two large dogs in 2005, sustaining severe injuries that required a multidisciplinary approach to his care and treatment at a pediatric trauma center.
His story is not unusual but his recovery and bravery are next to remarkable.
Marcus left his family’s house to go to a nearby grocery. On his walk, he encountered a couple of teens who had two dogs on leashes. The dogs got loose and attacked Marcus. Because he did not return home quickly, about a half-hour later, his brother went to find Marcus only to find out he had been attacked by two 100-pound dogs. A passerby stopped the attack.
Marcus suffered a broken nose, fractures in some facial bones, an injury to the muscle that controls his left eyelid, and more than two dozen lacerations, mostly on his face, which required more than 120 stitches.
Marcus underwent several operations, including one to reconstruct his damaged facial bones where the dogs’ teeth punctured the face, went through the muscle and broke the bone.
Marcus will have permanent scarring and he may have trouble moving the upper lid on his left eye, but his father said he was thankful the boy escaped worse injuries. His parents are thankful he is alive.
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh treats injuries from dog bites as often as three to four times a week, and sees injuries of Marcus’ severity sometimes as often as every two months.