Ali Condon
WARNING: This article contains some graphic images
A toddler was forced to undergo three surgeries and 62 hours of oxygen therapy after the family dog tore off half her ear and mauled her face in a freak attack.
Kenzie Riemenschneider had been sitting on the sofa with the family's 10-month-old Bernedoodle Curly on 2 November when she grabbed his LED collar and pulled it round.
It's believed that the light from the collar spooked the pup, causing him to bark and accidentally chomp down on the two-year-old girl's face.
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After hearing Kenzie's screams, mum Jaisa, 37, and dad Andy, 41, thought that their toddler had been frightened by the dog's bark, but they rushed into the living room find their daughter covered in blood.
"There was no thought in my mind that she had been bitten, because the dog never showed any sign of aggression," recalled Jaisa.
"She screamed very loudly. My husband ran in there and grabbed her.
"Her lip on the left side was sliced wide open. It was like a pie shape, you could see her teeth."
Jaisa rang for paramedics right away, and scooped up the severed top of Kenzie's ear from the living room floor.
"I remember the paramedic clearly saying to me, 'most likely they will not be able to attach the ear, and time is not on your side'," Jaisa shared.
"I was trying to stay strong for Kenzie. A lot of that came from the adrenaline, and just shock. I knew I couldn't break down in front of her."
Thankfully, surgeons at Children's Hospital Minnesota in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota believe Kenzie might be able to keep her ear after the tot underwent three operations and 62 hours of oxygen therapy.
The unique therapy stimulated regrowth through the use of pressurised, high levels of oxygen, fusing Kenzie's ear back together and quickly healing the wounds on her face.
After undergoing the $200,000 treatment, Kenzie is now 'fully healed' apart from some remaining damage to the tip of her ear.
Following the horrifying accident, the family made the 'difficult' decision to rehome Curly the dog to avoid the risk of something happening again.
Jaisa said: "It was difficult, we are a forever home. When we adopt an animal we adopt for life and they are our family.
"We did our due diligence of finding the right family for Curly."
Although the family are spooked from the freak incident, they insist 'it wasn't an attack'.
"He was a very nice family dog," said Jaisa.
"We had no prior concerns for safety, or aggression, it was a complete accident.
"We raised him, we were comfortable around him, so we're not trying to instil fear in either of our girls. We want them to be animal lovers."
You can donate to Kenzie's GoFundMe here.