A woman was left permanently disfigured after her father's rescue pitbull bit off her nose and mauled her arm. Trinity Rowles, 20, recalls the moment when the usually cuddly 100-pound dog suddenly attacked and almost killed her.
WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW
The horrifying attack was a traumatic incident that shocked Trinity. Her dad's dog had been a loyal pet before it bit off part of her nose.
According to Rowles, her dad's dog, Irish, a Pitbull-Bulldog mix, was a loving and loyal friend. The sudden attack was "out of character" for the dog, who has been with her family for over five years.
“Irish was my dad’s rescue dog. He’d had him for about five years and he was like a great big teddy bear. He was so lovable and really soft. I would always go around and see him, and I even looked after him when my dad was out of town,” she told NY Post.
The attack happened on September 9 last year, when Trinity was visiting her father's home. She had an argument with her dad, who was yelling inside the house, while Trinity was outside.
She went inside to confront her dad. Irish, who was inside the house, witnessed the confrontation happening.
The dog first nipped at her dad on the ribs. Trinity took this as a sign to walk out of the house. She was already halfway to her car when her dad grabbed her and they both fell to the ground.
Trinity detailed the traumatic event in a TikTok. "As we both fell, that's when Irish started biting my nose and I was yelling that he had a hold of my nose."
Her dad tried to protect her by putting her in a fetal position but the dog was still biting at her nose.
The dog then moved on to her arm, mauling her limb like it was a tug toy. She was dragged across their yard while Irish kept biting her arm.
“He then latched on to my arm and began playing tug of war with it as if my arm was a toy, and dragged her across the yard,” Rowles recalled.
Then, like the flick of a switch, he just stopped and sat on the porch stairs. Trinity was badly disfigured and was yelling for the neighbors to call 911.
"When the police arrived, I remember I was getting put on to a stretcher and heard my dad shout "just do it" before the sound of gunshots being discharged."
Trinity had to have several surgeries to save her arm and nose. She had a forehead flap surgery to reconstruct her badly injured nose.
A portion of her forehead was cut and attached to her nose. Over 20 wound bites on her arm were also stitched.
Trinity's surgeries were able to save her nose but the incident left her traumatized for life. “I don’t sleep well anymore because of my flashbacks and I have a really bad fear of dogs now too. I am on medication and go to therapy to help me deal with my PTSD,” she shared with NY Post.
In another TikTok, Trinity explained that the skin transplant still grows hair, which she has to shave regularly.
She says that she is planning to do laser hair removal so she can permanently get rid of the hair growing on the skin.
Five months have passed since the attack and Trinity's wounds have healed wonderfully.
She believes that despite everything, it was not the dog's fault. "Moral of the story: Irish was not in the wrong. He believed he was protecting his owner. He believed that he was doing the right thing, although he loved me dearly," she said.
"And, do not have emotional conflict around a high-stress emotional dog," she added.
