A single mother whose cheek was partially torn off when she was attacked by a friend’s dachshund said her life had been “ruined” and her self-esteem “completely destroyed” by the scar left by the dog.
Kelly Allen, 45, from Swansea, was enjoying a few drinks at a friend’s house last month when her “very friendly” dog suddenly changed his behaviour and latched onto her face.
The dog refused to release his grip until he had torn off a large piece of her cheek to eat, leaving Kelly with an open wound that required five and a half hours of plastic surgery and more than 40 stitches.
The dachshund was removed from the property by the police and later euthanized.
Kelly is seeking compensation after learning that the dog has allegedly attacked two people already, but this could take several years.
The ordeal still haunts Kelly. She regularly wakes up crying at night and cannot bear to return to her job in the call center of the travel company Tui because of the trauma and her physical appearance.
Now she can hardly leave the house without being accompanied by one of her two sons – 19-year-old Fletcher and 18-year-old Cooper – and the £350 statutory sick pay she receives each month is not enough to cover her bills and living costs.
Kelly relies on her family to help her make ends meet. Her sister Stacey, 43, has launched a fundraiser that has already raised over £1,000.
Kelly said: “I can’t get out of bed and I cry in my sleep because I can feel his teeth in me.”
“I have a terrible scar on my face. It has ruined my life because it will never be the same again.”
“I now have to buy camouflage make-up for people with facial disfigurements – it’s something I never thought I’d have to do. I’m a single mum and can’t afford gas and electricity most weeks – it just seems so unfair.”
Kelly had gone to a friend’s house for drinks on Friday, March 15.
Her friend, whose name she did not want to disclose, had a pet dachshund who showed no signs of aggression when Kelly arrived around 9:30 p.m.
“He was very friendly and showed no signs of being an aggressive dog,” she said.
“He lay on his back so I could get his belly rubbed and laid his head in my lap a few times.”
But later that evening, Kelly was sitting on the kitchen floor, leaning against one of the kitchen counters, when the dog’s behavior suddenly changed.
When she looked away for a split second, the dog lunged at her and sank his teeth into her cheek.
“I turned my head toward the back door where my friend was standing,” Kelly said.
“He didn’t bark or growl or make any noise, he just lunged at my face and latched onto it. Then he started thrashing around and shaking his head back and forth. I could feel his teeth deep in my cheek – I still have flashbacks to this day.”
Kelly remembers repeatedly shouting, “Put him down,” as blood ran down her face.
Another friend rushed into the kitchen and grabbed the dog by the collar, but his mouth was tightly closed and would not let go.
“He only got away because he tore off the piece of meat and ate it,” she said.
“He didn’t let go, he pulled it off and I felt the skin tear.”
When Kelly got back on her feet, the dog bit her again, this time on the arm. Luckily, she was able to free herself and run out of the room.
“I’ve never had so much blood,” she added.
“I looked in her mirror, which was right in front of me, and thought, ‘Shit, I’m in trouble.'”
They immediately called 999 but were told there would be a considerable wait. Fearing she might “bleed to death”, Kelly called a friend who had not been drinking with them and asked for a lift to Morriston Hospital’s emergency department.
“They numbed the area and scrubbed the wound with what looked like a scouring pad because of all the bacteria that are in dogs’ mouths,” she said.
“They bent me over a sink and scrubbed, scrubbed, scrubbed, scrubbed… it was torture. Then they doused me with water for five minutes, which felt like I was being waterboarded. It was horrific.”
After her wound was dressed, Kelly was told she could go home and wait for the plastic surgery team to contact her.
At 7:50 a.m. she received a call from the hospital telling her to “come back immediately” because she needed surgery.
“I met with the plastics team and they explained to me what they were going to do,” she said.
“They wanted to take a piece of skin from my neck and transplant it to my face.”
Kelly spent five and a half hours on the operating table before waking up with a bandage on her face and an 18-centimeter-long scar across her collarbone.
In total, over 40 stitches were required – 36 on the chest and six on the arm.
This ordeal has severely affected her mental health and shattered her self-confidence.
“My self-esteem is completely destroyed and I don’t go out anymore,” Kelly said.
“Without my close friends and family, I don’t know where I would be now. I can’t go shopping anymore unless my son comes with me. I’m just not living my life.”
Since the attack, she can no longer bear to go back to work.
“I can’t go back to work because I can’t face people. I just can’t do it,” she said.
“I can’t concentrate and I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
The incident has also put a heavy strain on Kelly’s finances, as she only receives £350 in statutory sick pay per month.
“My employers have been great and really supportive,” she said.
“I am making a legal claim now but that could take up to two years and in the meantime I have no income. I am not entitled to anything else because I am still employed and I cannot give up my job to get income support because then I will lose my job.
“I’m just in a really difficult situation at the moment.”
To help pay her bills, Kelly’s sister started a fundraiser on GoFundMe, which has already raised more than £1,000. It turns out this wasn’t the first time the dog had attacked someone.
Kelly said she did not want to involve police, but they were called after hospital staff saw the severity of her injuries. The dog was later taken away and euthanized after being taken to a training facility in Cardiff, Kelly said.
“I have since found out that the dog has attacked other people,” she said.
“The people around me were incredible”
“It’s thanks to you that I still wake up every day. I don’t think anyone should be alone in something like this.”
To support Kelly, visit www.gofundme.com/f/helly-kelly-whiles-shes-off-work-due-to-dog-attack
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