An elementary school student has been severely injured after a large and uncontrollable Cane Corso dog viciously attacked her, pulling her along the street in front of her shocked friends. The incident has left young Kyah with permanent scars that will stay with her for a lifetime.
Kyah, the daughter of Holly Matuszak, was on her way to meet up with friends close to her house when a menacing Cane Corso suddenly bolted towards her from a nearby car. Despite her efforts to escape, the massive 100-pound canine pounced on her, dragging her across the road.
Trapped in a harrowing and bloody ordeal, the nine-year-old girl faced a terrifying assault until the dog’s owner intervened and managed to restrain the violent animal.
Kyah’s mother ran straight to the scene as soon as she heard about the attack and was shocked to discover her child’s trousers were ripped and bloodied and that she’d been left with bite marks on her lower back and bottom.
She rushed her daughter to the hospital, where Kyah had stitches on her very extensive injuries before visiting a plastic surgeon.
Holly shared footage discussing the incident on TikTok in a video captioned “Cane Corso attack,” which has now gone viral with more than three million views.
In the clip, the 31-year-old mom of two warns viewers to “never assume your dog or pet is not capable.”
Many Cane Corso dog owners responded in the comments, agreeing that “people don’t know what they are truly capable of” and that they need “a lot of continual training.”
Other owners defended the breed saying, “Not all Canes are attack dogs.”
It comes after dog training expert Rob Alleyne told The Times earlier this month that Cane Corsos were like an “XL bully on steroids,” adding, “It’s a killing machine, and they’ve become much more popular now.”
Cane Corsos have grown in popularity in recent years, with celebrities such as Megan Thee Stallion and NFL star Patrick Mahomes owning one.
While Kyah’s wounds have now scarred over, the nine-year-old has been left afraid to go outside.
The dog has reportedly since been put down, but the mom urges others to “always be on guard” with their animals.
“It was a nightmare for her. It’s terrible,” Holly, a registered nurse from Perrysburg, Ohio, said.
“She was outside meeting up with two of her friends who live around the corner from us. She was just walking down the sidewalk.
“The owners just came home. Someone from the car then opened the garage door that leads into the house. They opened that second garage door and the dog just ran outside from inside the house straight after my daughter.
“It didn’t bark or anything. She turned around and saw this giant dog coming after her, so of course she panicked and tried to run across the street to get away.
“The dog just launched at her and dragged her the rest of the way up into the grass across the street.
“Luckily the owner was still outside getting out of the car so got the dog back in, just a little bit too late.”
Holly was at her home with her son when she got the phone call telling her about the attack.
“The words were ‘I have your daughter,'” she said.
“So of course I panicked. I got up immediately and out the door. I think she said ‘she was bitten by a dog’.
“She had nightmares at first and she’s afraid to go outside… a lot is triggering to her right now.
Holly Matuszak, Kyah’s mom
“Immediately I was furious. But I wanted to remain as calm as possible. I ran there. My daughter was sitting outside on the grass. I was expecting the worst.
“Just glancing at my daughter’s wounds, not even fully, I knew she had to go to the ER. She was crying. I think she was in shock.
“Her pants and everything were ripped and bloody, so I had to get her home. Then I had some wound care things at home, so I covered what I could. The wounds were very extensive, so I did what I could and put different clothes on her.
“She was sobbing and panicking, and she was crying, asking, ‘Why did he do this? I didn’t do anything wrong.’ Just devastated.”
The parent took her daughter to the hospital, where doctors applied stitches to Kyah’s extensive wounds that, while not requiring plastic surgery, will leave her with permanent scarring.
She was forced to take three weeks off school while recovering and caring for the wounds.
“She had honestly the perfect bite mark outline. The perfect tooth pattern of the dog’s open mouth. She had nine or ten visible wounds from each tooth,” Holly said.
“The dog just launched at her and dragged her the rest of the way up into the grass across the street.
Holly Matuszak
“We could tell the dragging had happened because they were not just holes. It affected the fat tissue, muscle, all of that.
“Most of it was on her bottom. Lower back not much. It was all spread out from an open mouth, so it covered the whole general area.
“She had stitches in the hospital. Not every individual wound got stitches. Some of them they couldn’t stitch or had to leave open.
“The bigger ones, they put one or two stitches in each to hold it closed enough. Because of the risk for infection from the inside due to the nature of dog or animal bites, you can’t close it all the way.
“Luckily, she will not need plastic surgery. They mentioned the option. There’s going to be extensive scarring. That can be totally up to her if and when she wants to do that.”
‘EMOTIONALLY SCARRED’
While the schoolgirl’s wounds have begun to heal, she has been left emotionally scarred by the experience and is afraid to go outside.
However, the family’s two dogs, four-year-old Blue Heeler Leche and two-year-old Newfoundland Waffles, are helpful reminders that not all dogs are bad..”
“The wound care was extensive. It was multiple times a day. It was a lot. I know it was miserable for her,” Holly said.
“Once all that was done, the mental and emotional recovery for her has been such a process. It’s one day at a time. She’s handling it well, but it’s been hard. I feel terrible for her.
“She had nightmares at first, and she’s afraid to go outside when, usually, her and her friends are always outside. A lot is triggering to her right now and challenging to her.
“At first, she had one moment where our dogs were playing like normal, and it kind of freaked her out, and she got a little upset.
“Since then, we haven’t had issues, and they’ve actually been a very big comfort for her, thankfully. It could have been the opposite.
“They adore her, they cuddle all the time. I think it’s been very grounding for her and a constant reminder that not all dogs are bad. Not all dogs are going to be harmful. That’s actually been a really good thing.”
What are Cane Corsos?
Cane Corsos are an Italian breed of Mastiffs and thought to be descended from Roman war dogs.
They have grown in popularity over the past few years with many celebrities and sports stars owning one.
They are large, strong dogs and can weigh up to 110 pounds (50kg) and grow up to 27 inches (68cm) in height.
Cane Corsos have a lot of muscle tone, giving them an imposing and powerful look.
They are typically bred as guard dogs, used to protect livestock on farms and were previously used for hunting game.
They have one of the strongest bite forces of any dog at 700 pounds per square inch (psi) which is higher than a lion’s (691 psi).
They can easily overpower a human and can be dangerous if not trained and socialized properly.
‘BE ON GUARD’
The mom claims the dog has since been destroyed and she now urges people to be “responsible dog owners” and to “always be on guard” with their pets to “keep everyone safe.”
“I’m a firm believer that all of one breed is not bad. Some are more prone temperament or personality-wise,” Holly said.
“Never, ever be comfortable with the fact that your dog would never [do this]. Because most people think that, but at the end of the day, they’re animals. They may perceive things differently than we do. What we wouldn’t think is a threat, maybe they do.
“Always be on guard with your animals because you just never know. You have to be a responsible dog owner no matter what kind of dog you have.
“Be knowledgeable in what breed you are getting before you get them and what the ownership will entail to keep everyone safe.”
Many Cane Corso dog owners shared warnings about the breed in the comments.
“I own a Cane Corso and he’s an amazing dog but it takes a lot of continual training,” one user said.
Another wrote, “I think you should be required to have special training to own these types of big protective breeds.”
“People don’t know what they are truly capable of. Their bite force is the same as a lion to give some perspective,” added a third.
Other users defended the breed, with one person writing, “Not all Canes are attack dogs. Mine is gentle and so lovable.”
The U.S. Sun reached out to Perrysburg Township Police Department for a comment.
