Lacey mom says vicious attack by their 'super cuddly' pet dog on 4-year-old son was a shock

SEATTLE -- Just a day after the family’s pit bull attacked her 4-year old son, a mother is sharing her side of the story:  She says the dog never showed any sign of aggression before the unprovoked assault.

Alissa Evans said since the attack made headlines, there have been misconceptions about what happened and the precautions she followed before bringing the dog into the home.



She said Thursday that in the two weeks she had the dog, "Smash" got along well with her sons.

“Smash was super cuddly, the nicest dog you would ever imagine, and never once snapped ... never growled, nothing,” said Evans.

That all changed Wednesday when Smash suddenly attacked Evans’ 4-year-old son, Gavin, at their Lacey home and went after his face. Evans said she tried to stop the dog, but it was too late.

“When he bit my hand, I fell and then that’s when he attacked Gavin,” said Evans.

Gavin is now recovering at Harborview Medical Center. His mother said he has a broken jaw and missing teeth but is doing remarkably well since the attack.

“I didn’t see it coming, and they (her sons) were never in his face ever, never left alone, nothing,” said Evans. “I don’t know what happened yesterday.”

Evans said contrary to what investigators originally reported, her dog was not purchased on Craigslist.org. She got him through a neighbor’s friend, Frederick Grege.

In an interview Thursday, Grege said he had Smash as a puppy, and he was aggressive at times toward other dogs but never toward people.

"My girlfriend has a 1-year-old, they'd play together,” said Grege. “He was fine with other kids. He never, never, never went after a person. I’m just in disbelief."

Grege suggests Smash was trying to show dominance over the family.

Regardless of the reason, Grege and Evans both agree Smash shouldn’t be adopted by anyone else.

Smash is expected to be euthanized after its 10-day quarantine and monitoring period is over.