VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – A mother is thankful her son is alive and OK after being attacked by a pit bull Wednesday afternoon in Virginia Beach.

The owner of the pit bull who attacked and seriously injured a 14-year-old boy has been charged.

According to police, the call for the incident came in around 3:33 p.m. in the 5200 block of Richard Rd.

While police were rendering aid to the boy, police were confronted by the dog. Because of the aggressive nature of the dog, police shot and killed it, according to a police spokesperson.

Kendra Kidd, mother of the teenager who was attacked, spoke with 10 On Your Side a day after the incident happened. She said her son was in the middle of walking to the bus stop to pick up his siblings, something he usually does, when the pit bull charged at him.

Video exclusively obtained by 10 On Your Side showed the teen in the middle of walking to the street corner when he saw the dog on the other side of the street. He stopped, cautiously watching the animal continue down the sidewalk. He had no idea what would happen next.

“You could never be prepared for something like that you know and then I was so far away it’s like it’s all coming together,” Kidd said, “It’s taking a minute to process but my son is OK and that’s all I could ever ask for.”

She said her son was taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital after the attack to be treated for serious injuries he sustained. He had to undergo surgery to reconnect parts of his right ear. He also has lacerations on his head and bite marks on the right side of his body. Her son is now back home recovering.

Kidd was at work during the attack. It’s expected no parent can stay calm in a moment like this, but she said one person helped her do exactly that.

“Officer Andre is the officer’s name and she … communicated with me throughout the whole ordeal, from beginning to end and even this morning,” Kidd said.

In an update from police Thursday, they say the dog was off leash at the time of the incident and that a visitor accidentally let the dog out of the house. It’s not the first time it’s been out unattended. That’s what confuses Kidd the most.

“I’ve actually had the pleasure of chasing the dog with the owner,” Kidd said, “and then on one occasion actually getting the dog in my car and bringing it back. … I’ve never known it to be vicious outside of yesterday’s attack.”

She said as soon as the dog started mauling her son, two of her neighbors jumped into action, one grabbing a pole to try to separate the animal from the boy and the other putting it in a headlock.

She met up with one of those neighbors Thursday afternoon, hugged him, and thanked him for helping to save her son’s life.

“And that gentleman, it takes that fight or flight response he was prepared to go down and I could never thank him.”

Despite the incident, she told us her son is already in high spirits again.

“He kind of joked around with the medical staff at the Norfolk General emergency room.”

All-in-all, she’s just thankful to be able to still hold her son.

“I can still lay eyes on him, I can still hug him, I can still kiss him, we can still joke each other,” Kidd said. “I get another day and some people don’t. So, love your kids love your family, whoever it is love them to the fullest.”

The owner of the dog, 33-year-old Danielle Hughes, was charged with misdemeanor dog at large, expired rabies vaccine, and expired city license.

No further information has been released.