Dogs are something that work their way into our lives in our hearts. We may spend a lot of time with the dogs in our lives and sometimes, we have the opportunity to be around dogs that are parts of other families as well.
Jacqueline Durand is somebody who loved being around dogs and she was helping out a neighborhood family by dog sitting. There was a boxer pitbull mix and a German Shepherd mix in the house, but she was told that they would be restrained. When she got there, the dogs were loose.
Even though the dogs were familiar with Jacqueline because they had met her initially, they worked very happy with her presence in the home on that day. They turn on her suddenly and her life has never been the same since.
The two dogs grabbed hold of Jacqueline and dragged her into the home. They continually attacked her for 37 minutes, ripping off her ears, nose, cheeks, and lips. She thought for sure that she was going to die.
Unfortunately, the dogs had done a lot of damage by the time the police were able to get on the scene. They were put down after the attack, and Jackelyn sued the owners for negligence.
As a result of her injuries, she has undergone a number of rounds of reconstructive surgery. The goal was to replace the skin that she had lost from her body.
She said: “I didn’t ask for this, so I think that it’s time to show who I am now and I can’t be scared of it. I want for dog owners to know their animals and be able to communicate with their sitters how they are.”
Now that she is recovering, although she will never fully recover from the attack, she is doing her best to raise awareness of the dangers associated with dogs. She still loves dogs once to work with them, but she won’t work with those breeds because of the flashbacks she has.
She continues to post updates of what is taking place on social media. As one of the updates, she had undergone her 20th reconstructive surgery and shared before-and-after pictures. She said: “I know everyone wants an update, so here is a current pic and if you swipe over there’s a before pic!.
“Currently I’m still swollen because it is day 3 after surgery, but I wanted to show my progress! I have been sore the last few days but it’s finally subsiding and getting tolerable. #tigerstrong #survivor #20thsurgery.”
Jacqueline was also concerned after the attack that her boyfriend would leave her. She said that she had changed forever and asked if he still wanted to stick around but he said he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
They are still doing well together and celebrating their fifth anniversary according to a recent post on social media. She said: “I cannot believe it’s been HALF a decade with you – words can’t describe how grateful I am to have been by each other’s sides all these years. You are my rock and my safe place.
“You know how to keep me calm when my PTSD gets the best of me and I can’t thank you enough for being so sensitive to my needs.
“This medical life I have to live right now isn’t pretty, but there’s no one else I’d rather have by my side through it all.”