WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
A young woman has shared a warning after she was mauled by a dog she had known since it was a puppy.
Haylee Owens, 19, was visiting her friend in her Noranda home in Ballajura, north of Perth, with two others on Sunday when she was bitten on the face by her friend’s four-year-old rottweiler, Perth Now reported.
“It all just happened so fast. I was giving him cuddles, my friend was behind him, I was in front and he jumped at me and bit me on the face,” Ms Owens told Perth Now.
Ms Owens explained how she had known Ninja since he was a puppy and frequently visited him prior to the random attack.
Her friends reacted quickly and called an ambulance after Ms Owen’s forehead began heavily bleeding from the bite.
“I didn’t even realise I was bitten, it all happened so quick,” Ms Owens recalled.
“There was a lot of blood.”
After the horrifying ordeal, Ms Owens had to get plastic surgery and needed 28 stitches on her face which she says could leave permanent scarring.
Ms Owens still has a close relationship with Ninja and has visited him at her friend’s home since the attack, but says her parents are a bit “iffy about the situation”.
She wants to warn others to always be cautious around dogs, no matter how long or well you’ve known them.
“You never know what’s going through their minds or bodies,” she said.
“It only takes a second (for the dog) to react, so just be mindful of how close you get.”
Just last month, Perth mum Jasmine Santich made a desperate plea to have the dog who attacked her four-year-old son, Swayde Rangi, put down.
The toddler suffered permanent nerve damage to his face after he was mauled by the bull arab rescue while playing at his friend’s house.
The City of Cockburn launched an investigation into the mauling and declared the hound a dangerous dog.
A spokesperson confirmed the dog had been released following inspections and compliance from owners to abide by strict conditions.
This article originally appeared on Perth Now and was reproduced with permission
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