Emma Guinness
An inspirational young woman whose face was mauled in a devastating dog attack has shown off the results of her reconstructive surgery.
Jacqueline Durand, from Texas, describes herself as a 'survivor' after her face was torn off by two 'lovely' rescue dogs she'd been asked to look after in 2021. But now she's had reconstructive surgery:
Then 21, the former dog sitter explained that the animals she had previously got on with suddenly turned on her.
Advert
This saw them drag her into their home before ripping off her nose, ears, lips and cheeks.
She told CBS News that she is sharing her story to raise awareness of the potential dangers that dogs can pose.
"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," she said.
"I want for dog owners to know their animals and be able to communicate with their sitters how they are."
Durand, who said she thought she was 'going to die' during the attack, explained that she was an experienced dog sitter when she was asked to look after Bender, a boxer and pit bull mix, and Lucy, a German Shepherd mix.
She said that prior to arriving at the home, their owners, Justin and Ashely Bishop, promised that the animals would be restrained.
Needless to say, this did not happen and when she began the job they were free roaming around the house.
Durand said that she had never experienced anything like the change in temperament that took place from when she first met the dogs during a 'meet and greet' and when she arrived at their home the day of the attack - which was just before her 22nd birthday.
The horrific attack only ended because an alarm was triggered by the front door being left open.
When the police arrived, it took them a whopping 37 minutes to rescue the 21-year-old from the dogs - and by this point, Durand had lost a significant amount of blood.
The dogs were subsequently destroyed after the attack and Durand sued their owners for negligence.
She is now hoping that her story won't just help raise awareness of dangerous dogs, but inspire other people as she has remained positive despite her ordeal.
Durand is doing so on social media, where she has shared the results of her reconstructive surgery just over a year since the life-changing accident.
She admitted that she thought her boyfriend would leave her because of the effect the accident had on her face, but he assured her wasn't going anywhere.
"I was skeptical if he was going to stay with me," she said in an Instagram Live.
"I asked him straight up, 'do you still want to be with me? I've changed forever', and he said 'I wouldn't want to be anywhere else'."
Durand explained that she had surgery to help her skin grow back and while she still has a long road ahead of her, doctors have said that she is unlikely to need a face transplant.
Despite her ordeal, Durand's love of dogs hasn't waned, and the student at the University of Texas is still hoping to work with them in the future.
However, she admitted that at least right now, she is unable to work with German Shepherds and Pit Bulls again because she still has flashbacks.