Two traumatized siblings are recovering from a traumatic dog attack last week while they were visiting a home in Orange County.
Jodi Graham, 9, and her sister Michaela, 13, were in a residence where a friend was dog-sitting a pit bull named Jacks.
According to a GoFundMe campaign, Jodi was sitting down petting Jacks when the dog suddenly turned and latched on to her right hand.
The attack quickly escalated as Jodi screamed and attempted to curl into a ball. Jacks then bit her in the face and began to violently shake her “like a rag doll.”
Frantic, Michaela ran outside to alert the adult who was present as the dog continued its assault.
A second dog in the home—another pit bull named Huk—intervened and tried to pull Jacks away from Jodi’s head.
When Michaela and the adult returned, Huk was standing guard over Jodi.
As the adult attempted to separate the dogs, Jacks turned to Michaela on her left arm, who then ran outside and called 911.
After emergency responders arrived, Michaela contacted her parents, Mike and Tomi Graham.
“I didn’t know if she was going to make it,” the mom told FOX 35.
Jodi was rushed to the hospital with severe facial injuries and a bite to her hand. She has since undergone extensive facial surgery and faces a long road to recovery.
Michaela sustained injuries to her arm and has remained by her sister’s side throughout the ordeal.
“I was holding it together mainly for my sister so she didn’t feel too worried about me,” Jodi told the station. “We were just comforting each other.”
An Orange County Animal Services spokesperson told FOX 35 that Jacks was euthanized due to the severity of the bites and the number of victims.
The other dog, Huk, is being credited by the family with helping to stop the attack and protect Jodi until help arrived.
The Graham family says they are not placing blame on the dog’s owner, and are focused on helping their daughters heal—both physically and emotionally.
“Michaela won’t leave her sister’s side,” the GoFundMe states, noting that Jodi only wakes up to take her medications.
