TURTLE CREEK, Pa. -- A 5-year-old playing with his friend in Turtle Creek was attacked by a dog that had broken free from a leash, police said.

The man who was walking the dog did not want to be identified, but he said that the dog was provoked.

“I asked the father and son several times to move on because his son was teasing the dog. The dad just sat on the next pair of steps and let his kid start playing as normal and kept teasing the dog,” said the man, who was with the dog just before the attack.

Ethan Gardner's father was nearby on Church Street and saw what happened when his son was attacked. Ethan's father said the collie-shepherd mix wasn't provoked.

"When that happened to my son, I seen his face and I just broke down and I thought I was going to lose it," said father Bernard Gardner. "I didn't know how to feel ... so angry."

The victim's parents said, while at a hospital Wednesday, Ethan was brave and even had a sense of humor. They said he's in a little bit of pain but he's mostly back to normal. He even said he's not afraid of dogs. However, 10 stitches now line Ethan's left cheek.

His parents said they're just relieved the situation wasn't worse.

"What if the dog would've got his throat?" said Bernard Gardner. "He could've got seriously hurt and died."

The dog will be quarantined for 10 days. So far, no charges have been filed.

Ethan will have to go back in for another plastic surgery in a few months.