A woman who suffered devastating facial injuries after being attacked by a dog has opened up about the incident and revealed the difficult journey she has faced through multiple surgeries. Get the latest updates on our WhatsApp channel.
The woman, identified as Samantha Redding, recalled how what was supposed to be a brief visit to a friend’s father’s house turned into a life-changing experience.
According to Samantha, she had gone to the house to pick up her friend, only to discover that she had already left to meet her at Samantha’s home.
She said she had spent only about 10 minutes inside the house and was preparing to leave when the dog suddenly attacked her.
“I was only in the house for about 10 minutes and I was getting ready to leave.
“I went to pick up my bag and the dog latched on to my face.
“The dog had never been nippy to me before.
“I actually can’t remember much from then except the dog growling and then the pain.
“Then I heard everyone shouting.
“I can’t remember how the dog got off.
“All I can remember is turning round after and seeing my face in the mirror and thinking my life was over.
“The dog was huge, taller than me when it stands on its back legs and probably weighs around the same as me, but it had never been nippy to me before.”
After the attack, Samantha managed to leave the house and contact her parents while she was being taken for medical treatment.
She said her parents initially thought she was joking when she called them because of the severity of what had happened.
“I facetimed them and all they said was they’d meet me at A&E.
“I wasn’t feeling much pain but I think that was the shock.
“My mum burst into tears when she saw me
“That’s when I realised how bad it was
“My face looked like something from a horror movie.
“I looked like a zombie and honestly I couldn’t see it getting better.
“There are times I wish the dog had killed me so I wouldn’t have to go through all of the operations.
“I thought I would look like a monster for the rest of my life.”
Doctors warned she needed several operations
Samantha was later transferred to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, where specialists assessed the extent of her injuries.
Doctors took her into theatre to clean the wounds and determine how badly her face had been damaged.
She was informed that she would need between three and four major operations as surgeons worked to reconstruct her face.
For Samantha, the prospect of undergoing repeated surgeries while dealing with the physical and emotional effects of the attack was overwhelming.
She said: “This was terrifying.
“I was in constant pain, unable to eat except through a tube and my mental health was obviously taking a dip.
“I was told my next surgery would be a week later, as I needed lots of IV antibiotics before.
“They were going to have to take a graft from my arm to put on my face and a graft from my leg to cover the one on my arm.
“They were also taking veins from my arm to give me blood flow to the new patch on my face.
“I would need a tracheotomy as the operation would be almost 10 hours and I would be in the ICU after.”
Samantha said the consequences of those few minutes have continued to affect almost every part of her life.
She explained that she stayed away from her younger brothers for several weeks because she was afraid her injuries would frighten them.
She said: “My whole life has been affected by those ten minutes.
“I didn’t see my little brothers for five weeks as I didn’t want to scare them.
“All my family was amazing but I could tell they were terrified as well.
“Tesco has been amazing in supporting me through this.
“They gave me a career break, which gives me a full year off, so I know my job will be there when I’m ready to go back.
“I think the hardest part is getting through all the surgeries.
“I get used to how I look and get a little confidence back and then it changes again after every surgery.”
Although Samantha has undergone several procedures and continues to recover, she said the psychological effects of the attack remain difficult.
She still experiences memories of the moment the dog attacked her and said looking at her reflection can be painful.
She added:
“I get flashbacks of the dog’s face jumping up at me.
“I’ll always remember how hard life was in the hospital.
“When I look in the mirror, I hate it.
“As of now, all of the lacerations have been stitched and my skin graft is healing nicely.
“I still don’t have a lip.
“I just need to trust the process even though it can feel like it’s going nowhere. I can see the difference from January to now.
“I wish I could look normal again and just hope that the doctors and specialists can help me feel like myself again.”
