PROVO -- A Provo boy is recovering this week after a stranger rescued him from an attack by a German shepherd.

Provo police officer Jayson Swenson said 11-year-old Miles Graham was walking to Provost Elementary School on Tuesday morning when he walked past a home near 1100 E. 800 South where the dog was kept behind a privacy fence. Swenson said the boy reported that the dog jumped over the fence and began biting him.

The boy punched and kicked the dog and began screaming, but the dog continued to attack until a stranger, Juan Riboldi, who was passing, jumped out of his car and scared the dog away. Swenson said the man then put the boy in his car and drove him home.

Angela Graham, Miles Graham's mother, said her son was traumatized by the attack and stayed home from school to recover from his injuries. Graham said the attack was not just a bite, but a mauling, and her son received several stitches in the emergency room. She said she is grateful for the kindness shown by a complete stranger.

"We'd never met him before," she said. "What a great thing to do."

Graham said when she saw her son, his jeans were in shreds from the attack. He had some significant bite wounds, but he tried to stay calm, she said. The boy told her he was trying to keep the dog from getting to his face. Graham said Riboldi helped to defuse the situation and kept her son calm throughout the ordeal. She said Riboldi was clearly concerned for her son and stayed with him until the family left for the emergency room.

"He was absolutely just a wonderful person," she said.

Riboldi said he was glad to have passed the boy when the attack happened. The boy's pants were ripped on both legs and he had bite marks on both calves, he said. It appeared that the dog was trying to knock the boy to the ground, Riboldi said, and he feared the boy would be seriously hurt.

"The dog was not going to stop," he said.

Riboldi said he exited the car and tried to scare the dog, and it left. The owner then came outside and held the dog and tried to make sure the boy was OK.

"I told him that I was taking him home, right now," he said.

Riboldi said he does not know the dog's history and whether it should be euthanized. However, he said the dog should not be allowed to get loose, especially in an area that is frequented by children on their way to school.

"It's very dangerous to have a dog like that able to escape," he said.

Swenson said the owner of the dog was cited, and the dog is being quarantined for 10 days. After that, a judge will decide what should be done with the animal.

Graham said she has owned dogs her whole life, and they should not be treated like small children. They are still animals, and owners need to be responsible for their pets. Graham said she believes the dog should either be euthanized or kept in an area where it cannot be near the public. As for her son, Graham said she is trying to stay positive with him and encourage him, telling him he did the right thing. However, she said the attack has left him wary.

"He thought it was best if I drive him to school," she said. "I agree."