Darnell Minarapa-Brown was pinned down and attacked by his uncle's dog in Takanini about 1pm yesterday, leaving him covered in blood with nine facial puncture wounds.
He was rushed to Middlemore Hospital and came out of surgery around 2 o'clock this morning.
His mother, Virginia Minarapa, said when Darnell first woke up he asked about what happened to Caesar, the 3-year-old pitbull.
When he was told Caesar had been taken away by the pound, Darnell said: "He only needs to be put into a cage," Minarapa told the Herald.
Caesar is being held at the Manukau animal shelter while Auckland Council investigates the attack.
"There will be a meeting to determine the next steps tomorrow," a council spokesman said.
Darnell was his "usual self" this morning, but struggling to talk and eat as he still has no feeling in top lip, Minarapa said.
"The nerves in his top lip are damaged pretty badly. We are hoping he will get movement back, but it's not guaranteed," she said.
"He's trying to move everything with his bottom lip and tongue."
Darnell now faces recovery and rehabilitation but because he's "a really strong boy", he might be home soon, Minarapa said.
It's still unknown what sparked Caesar's attack.
The pitbull was usually locked away when children were around, Minarapa said.
The attack occurred in the garage - which doubles as a sleepout - after Darnell jumped on a bed to play PlayStation, giving Caesar a fright.
He had just been dropped off by his mother, who was reversing out of the driveway when the dog started mauling Darnell.
"I was in the driveway [when it happened]. Everybody was crying, screaming, panicking and upset. Only one person saw it happen," Minarapa said.
Blood stains are visible on the floor in the garage where the attack took place.
Ceasar's owner and Darnell's uncle, Henare Carroll, said he was shocked the dog was so violent as he had been brought up around people.
He expected Caesar would be put down.
The Herald understands the attack occurred on a Housing New Zealand (HNZ) property.
HNZ spokesman Glenn Conway said the agency was working with police to establish what happened in yesterday's attack.
"We cannot comment further until we have all the facts," he said.
A study published in August found 99,000 dog bites had been recorded nationally in the decade to 2014 - with more than 5800 requiring hospital treatment.
Incident rates increased from 10.5 attacks per 100,000 people to 14.3 over the 10-year period.
More than 2500 charges were made under the Dog Control Act in the past five financial years. Just over 350 dog destruction orders were granted in that time.
- Olivia Carville of the New Zealand Herald
