Fla. Boy, 4, Has Ear Torn Off in Dog Attack While Waiting for School Bus with Mother

A 4-year-old boy in Jacksonville, Fla., is recovering after a dog attack missing an ear.

Tracy Moore and her 4-year-old son, Roland Moore, were standing outside on Nov. 20 when two seemingly friendly dogs approached them, according to an incident report filed by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and obtained by PEOPLE.

The mother and son then began petting the dogs, before they “suddenly” attacked her son, biting his left ear. The officer who responded to the scene reported that the boy’s ear was “hanging from the side of his head,” per the report.

“Tracy explained while she was trying to protect her son, she was attacked as well, and the brown dog also bit them,” leaving her with minor wounds, authorities wrote in the incident report.

A witness claimed she saw the dogs then run into a neighbor’s yard. The responding officer said he was “unable to determine the identity of the owner of the two dogs,” per the report.

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Tracy wrote on a GoFundMe campaign that the pair were waiting for the school bus at the time of the attack. She also said that after spending a week in the hospital, doctors ultimately decided to amputate her son’s ear.

“It was heartbreaking to see Roland in so much pain, terrified and facing the possibility of losing a part of himself,” she said. The mother claimed that the dogs have since been euthanized. She is now seeking donations to help with legal and medical expenses.

PEOPLE has contacted Animal Care and Protective Services for comment but did not immediately hear back.