By Sara QuamSix-year-old Bailey Herman, Luverne, is recovering from a dog injury that required plastic surgery last week.Wednesday, April 20, Bailey was with his dad, Joel, visiting relatives Don and Barb Gonnerman who own the dog. Don wasn’t home at the time but said the injury wasn’t a bite. He described it as a deep scratch from the dog’s paw, based on what the Gonnermans’ 10-year-old saw and told them. Joel was just a few feet from Bailey and the almost 200-pound Saint Bernard but didn’t see the incident.He just heard Bailey yell out, "Dad," and turned to see his son lying on the ground, his face covered in blood.Joel said, "It was a dog he’s probably seen 50 other times in his life, so he knew him." Kellie Herman, Bailey’s mom, said the injury over his cheek, nose and eye scared her and her husband.Joel said, "Blood was just squirting out of his eye and all I could think of was getting him to the hospital."Once in Sioux Falls, Bailey was in surgery for 2 1/2 hours.Kellie said, "Bailey doesn’t remember it happening. He told people at the hospital that his mom was a scaredy cat because of my reaction when I first saw his face," Kellie said."He can see and open his eye now. He looks good compared to what he did. His eyelid was ripped and just hanging there and I was worried about him not being able to see."Joel said it was lucky that the dog didn’t harm Bailey’s eyeball. Now Bailey is recovering at home with help from antibiotics, salve and eye drops. A tube inside his eye gland, draining through his nose, will stay there for eight weeks.He has a follow-up appointment with the surgeon Wednesday, and he’ll find out when he can go back to school.Barb Gonnerman has had the dog for seven years and doesn’t plan to put it to sleep."It’s been hard for everybody," Kellie said. "We don’t even know if we’re going to keep our own dog [a boxer] yet. He is great with our kids, but you never know."Joel said, "Dogs are still dogs."The Hermans said they are thankful for the many calls and well wishes they’ve received since Bailey was hurt.
