Bridger, a six-year-old who had rescued his 4-year-old sister from an earlier dog attack in July is being hailed as a hero.
In a statement obtained by NBC, Bridger ‘s parents, Robert and Teila Walker said Bridger and his sister were at a friend’s home in Wyoming on July 9. One of the homeowner’s dogs, a German Shepherd, lunged towards the children, and Bridger stood to defend her in front of his sister, his parents said.
“Bridger explained that when the dog bit him, he yelled for his sister to run,” the Walkers stated. “After the dog released, Bridger ran to his sister and led her to a more secure part of the yard where he thought they would be safe.”
Bridger got more than 90 stitches on his face. He’s been recovering at home since the incident, his parents said, and he’s received a handful of shout outs from celebrities who are on-screen superheroes. Nicole Walker, Bridger’s aunt, shared a video of “Iron Man” actor Robert Downey Jr.‘s on Instagram which gave Bridger a special message.
“Bridger, you’re a rockstar,” Downey Jr. said in a video message for the boy.
“My name’s Robert Downey Jr. I played Tony, [which] makes me an old friend of Cap’s,” continued the actor, referring to his Marvel co-star Chris Evans, who plays Captain America ‘s character.
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“You call me on your next birthday,” Downey Jr. told Bridger in the video. “I’ve got something special for you. By the way, that’s a promise. A promise beats a shield.”
Bridger is seen responding to Downey Jr’s post at the end of the video — and his face lights up in a smile.
In the post’s caption Nicole Walker wrote that the family recently celebrated Bridger ‘s birthday, so it will be a while until they find out what Downey Jr. has in store for the surprise of the young hero.
Chris Evans said earlier this week that he was sending him an authentic Captain America shield, in a video message to Bridger. While the actor “Captain America” told the boy he wanted to give him an authentic shield of the superhero.
Bridger also received a FaceTime call from actor Tom Holland of “Spider-Man” who extended the invitation to visit the “Spider-Man 3” set.
“I’ve heard about your story, and I just want to say, you are so brave, mate, and we are all proud of you,” Holland said in the video call. “Your little sister is so lucky to have someone like you. I mean, you’re just such a brave little kid. It’s not easy what you did, mate, you should be proud of yourself.”