HOUSTON -- The Montgomery County toddler who was viciously attacked by a family pet faces his second of many surgeries Thursday morning.

Eighteen-month-old Anthony Rodriguez was attacked Tuesday in the yard of his home in Willis, as he played outside with his mother.

Priscilla Rodriguez described the attack, “I’m pulling and pulling and he's just not going away, and I’m screaming ‘Help! Help!’”

The 26-year-old mother was also bitten, scraped and bruised as she pulled the animal off her toddler.

She said, “If, I would've had a gun or a knife I would've killed it. I really would've.”

Her only child was nearly killed.

The 18-month-old is now at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston.

Doctors will operate again Thursday morning.

“They're gonna try to connect his eyelids back together,” said Rodriguez.

She said because of nerve damage, Anthony will have to have multiple procedures until he’s five years old.

Rodriguez and her son child moved into a Willis mobile home in October.

They had never had problems with any of the three pit bulls chained in the backyard.

Rodriguez said Tuesday they were playing near, but not with the dog when it lunged and came off the chain.

“I almost blame myself,” said Rodriguez. “We should have just stayed away, but I’m not a dog owner. I've never had pets. Nothing's ever happened.”

Montgomery County Animal Control picked up the pit bull named Oreo. He’ll be held for 10 days as they determine whether he has rabies.

Oreo did not get a lot of attention, Rodriguez explained, “It's my boyfriend's cousins' dog and he's in jail.”

Rodriguez said of her son, “I love him so much and he's so good and he's so cute and for his face to be so messed up, it’s horrible.”