A young boy was horrifically mauled by a dog while trying to protect his baby brother.

10-year-old Caio Lewis from Cross Hands, Wales, was brutally attacked by a French Bulldog while playing in the garden of his dad’s home with his younger brother Jac, 2.

According to the reports, the pair was attacked by the beast after it forced its way into the property and approached little Jac.

Scared for his younger brother, Caio ran towards the dog and positioned himself between Jac and the animal. As Jac ran towards the door, the dog bit his brother in the thigh leaving him with open wounds that required immediate hospitalization.

“The boys were playing at their dad’s house when the dog ran straight for Jac. Caio noticed the dog running straight for Jac and he went straight over and pushed him out of the way,” the boys’ mother, Lara Poyer, explained.

“As Jac ran back towards the house the dog bit Caio on his thigh.”

She added: “Where the dog bit Caio was the equivalent of his brother’s head in terms of height because Jac is so small, so it could have been a lot worse.”

After the confrontation with the dog, Caio was treated at the hospital and prescribed antibiotics. While he is “a bit sore” according to his mom, the boy is doing very well.

Lara also praised her son for standing up to the aggressive dog and protecting his younger sibling.

Speaking of the dog that attacked her children, the mother added: “I don’t want the dog to be destroyed because it’s a rescue dog and it’s obviously had a difficult upbringing previously.

“The dog owner has been very apologetic about what happened.”

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