Boy Scout training paid off in local pit bull attack

Denise Reed’s voice still breaks with emotion as she recalls an evening in June 2009 when her son Taylor, then 12, switched roles to become her caregiver.

She was on her back in the gravel, hysterical after being attacked by a pit bull, and bleeding from multiple puncture wounds in her hips and buttocks. Making matters worse, the dog’s owner was demanding that she not call for police assistance and insisting her wounds were trivial.

“My son, he had just turned 12,” Denise said. “He completely took control of the situation.”

Taylor’s actions that day in the face of potential danger won a regional Certificate of Meritorious Action from the Boy Scouts of America. On Tuesday at the Fall Court of Honor, he becomes the first Boy Scout of Troop 1917 of Whitefish to win a national Medal of Merit.

This national commendation is presented to scouts for performing service well above what is expected of a scout in daily life and which impacts others to a high degree.

Taylor’s mother found out what an asset her son and Boy Scout training were to her family on a warm June evening in 2009 when she took off on a run to train for a half marathon.

“I was running on Cemetery Road [in Kalispell] — about three miles into my run,” she said. “I was running with ear buds on and I didn’t bring pepper spray.”

Denise said she had no fear of dogs at the time but since then, she has suffered flashbacks and nightmares, replaying the scene over and over again in her mind. It begins with seeing, out of the corner of her eye, two pit bulls running and fighting with each other in a fenced yard.

Suddenly, the dogs scrambled under the fence and up an embankment on to the road. Before she knew what was happening, she felt one pit bull sink its teeth into her left buttock.

“I always thought if a dog came up I would kick it, but this just happened too fast,” she said. “Now, I always run with pepper spray. It wouldn’t have stopped this attack, but it might have slowed it down.”

When the pit bull attacked, she fell down on the gravel road. Although the dog had a painful vise-like grip on her left side, she said she was more concerned that the second pit bull would join the attack.

“The other dog was a foot and half from my face,” she said.

The first pit bull released its grip once, then bit her again before suddenly letting go and disappearing from her view with the other dog. Then a man about 25 years old appeared at her side, an apparent relative to the older woman who owned the dogs.

His mission was clear — keeping her from calling law enforcement.

“I was in shock and didn’t know what was going on,” Denise said. “I reached for my cell phone but I couldn’t even remember my own number. I hit speed dial.”

After receiving Denise’s panicked call, her husband David, son Taylor and his younger brother Thomas grabbed 22-month-old Keira and jumped into the van at their home on Teal Drive in Kalispell.

“I didn’t even have my shoes on,” Taylor said.

Within minutes, they arrived and a call was made to 911. David began dealing with the man who was headed for a vehicle, trying to follow the instructions from the dispatcher to keep both people on site if he could do so safely.

Although barefoot and uncertain where the pit bulls had gone, Taylor took charge of the medical emergency. He calmly asked his brother to look after toddler Keira while he took care of their mother.

As his first order of business, Taylor got his mother away from the woman who owned the dogs, who was alternately demanding to see her injury and accusing her of running down her property, all of which was increasing Denise’s agitation.

“After the bite, she said ‘My dog wouldn’t hurt anyone,’” Denise recalled. “I was just so angry.”

Taylor said he had his hands full, trying to calm his mother down. He said she was crying, disoriented and not making a whole lot of sense.

Noting that she was very pale, he concluded that his mother was in shock and that the bite must be severe. He had read that occurs with a traumatic injury as the blood leaves the extremities to protect the core.

“I knew I needed to get her to sit down and get her feet up 10 to 12 inches above her heart,” he said.

When his mother released the pressure on the wound from her Spandex pants, blood spurted out in a stream of 5 to 6 inches. Taylor realized the puncture had penetrated deeply into an artery or vein.

He grabbed an unopened bottle of water and poured it into the wound to clean it out then told his mom to keep pressure on it while they waited for the ambulance.

“I had just read about dog bites in my Boy Scout manual,” Taylor said. “I figured that was the best course of action to take.”

He had only joined Troop 1917 a few months earlier in the spring of 2009. When new boys join, they work on their first-aid badge as soon as possible to prepare for various outdoor adventures.

Taylor had been eager to get started so he spent time talking to Dr. Mike Henson, who comes to monthly meetings, and he had been studying his manual.

“I thought it was a good idea to know the information in our book thoroughly,” he said.

By the time the ambulance arrived, Taylor had the wound cleaned so that it needed only a bandage for the trip to the emergency room. After inspecting the bites, the emergency-room doctor said it wasn’t advisable to stitch it because of the high potential of infection from the dog’s saliva.

In the days that followed, Denise continued to bleed from her wound but Taylor handled many of the incidents with tape, gauze and gloves from the first-aid kit he had assembled for his Boy Scout badge. To encourage the wound to heal, he decided his mother needed to stay off her feet as much as possible.

  “For three or four days, he took care of me, making sure I stayed hydrated,” she said. “He also took care of his little sister.”

Because of their son’s competence, Denise said his dad felt comfortable leaving the house each day for work as a contractor. With additional medical attention and Taylor’s first aid, the holes in her hip eventually closed although her fear of dogs and residual pain remain.

The pitbull that bit Denise was not put down, but the owner was cited for having a vicious dog and was ordered to pay $700 restitution for the medical expenses. So far, the family has received just $100 but they haven’t filed a lawsuit.

“I just want the woman to take accountability,” Denise said.

Taylor’s national Medal of Merit award has become the silver lining of the painful experience. She witnessed firsthand just how responsible and accountable he becomes in times of duress.

“It was almost amazing how calm he was and how he took charge,” she said. “Leadership is what Boy Scouts emphasize.”

 Taylor, who is home-schooled with his siblings by his mother, said he joined the Whitefish troop because he enjoys outdoor activities. Troop 1917 takes part in high-adventure activities such as scuba diving, rock climbing, caving, rifle shooting and backpacking.

  He has set a goal of attaining Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Boy Scouting. As a career, Taylor said he wants to join the Navy and serve on an elite underwater demolition team.

“It’s really hard to get into,” he said with a smile. “I think it’s pretty cool.”

Ben Conard, his troop leader at the time of the dog bite incident, couldn’t be prouder of Taylor.

“For his age, he displayed a remarkable level-headedness,” Conard said. He’s a real disciplined kid and a definite asset to our troop.”

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com