Boy undergoes surgery after dog attack

By Amy Lester, NEWS 9

Six-year-old Alex Runyon is recovering from a serious dog bite that left him with only part of his nose.

Alex was in his backyard when the ball he was playing with went over the fence. Alex propped himself up, looked through a broken post and asked the neighbor for his ball back.

"The dog just ran over there fast and bit my nose," Alex said.

The dog, a Doberman pincher, bit the young boy through the fence opening.

Fortunately, the family found a doctor at the OU Medical Center who could reconstruct the boy's nose. April Runyon, the boy's mother, said it was just a freak accident.

"I'm glad they can do something," April Runyon said. "It looks terrible."

On Tuesday, Alex's energy levels were sky high, while his mom nervously waited as he was prepped for surgery.

"He's only six," April Runyon said. "He shouldn't have to have surgery already. That just scares me."

Doctor Ivan Wayne used parts of the back of Alex's ear and skin from his forehead to rebuild his nose.

"I expect he'll make a great recovery and hopefully no one will ever be able to tell this happened to him," Wayne said.

Alex's mother said a full recovery is exactly what she wants for him, too.

"Hopefully, he can get his nose back to normal and live a normal life," April Runyon said. "Hopefully, he'll be cautious of animals."

Alex will have to endure two more surgeries before his nose is fully restored.