Former Dance Moms star Chloe Lukasiak recalled the heartbreaking moment she learned that her model girlfriend had been attacked by a pit bull – and insisted that she ‘never saw her any differently’ after her top lip was completely ripped off by the dog.
Brooklinn Khoury, 22, from Mission Viejo, California, had her face dramatically altered in a terrifying dog attack two years ago.
The harrowing incident happened on November 2, 2020, while she was visiting family in Arizona. She said the animal ‘was shaking her head like a toy,’ and it ultimately removed her entire upper lip and parts of her nose.
Now, she and Chloe sat down to answer their fans’ burning questions about the horrific incident in a new YouTube video, and they opened up about how it impacted their relationship.
Former Dance Moms star Chloe Lukasiak recalled the heartbreaking moment she learned that her model girlfriend had been attacked by a pit bull
She also insisted that she ‘never saw her any differently’ after her top lip was completely ripped off by the dog. The couple is pictured together in 2021
Brooklinn Khoury (pictured in November) had her face dramatically altered in a dog attack two years ago. She said the animal ‘was shaking her head like a toy,’ and it removed her upper lip
According to Brooklinn, since the attack, her girlfriend has been nothing but supportive – and said Chloe always makes sure to ‘reassure’ her about how ‘beautiful’ she is.
And when someone asked Chloe if she ever considered leaving Brooklinn because of the way she looked, she responded, ‘No. Never,’ adding that Brooklinn is an ‘incredible human being.’
‘What makes me mad about this society is that some people have expressed surprise and praised me for not leaving her because of that and it just makes me angry,’ she said.
‘I understand that’s what we’re taught to think and feel, but it just makes me upset because if you spend five minutes with Brooklinn you’d understand how incredible of a human being she is.
‘Just because she doesn’t look like traditionally how everyone looks anymore, I think it’s so cool. She looks different. Now everyone’s gonna be trying to look like her.’
Chloe explained that the attack happened five days after they began talking, so they weren’t dating just yet – but it ultimately brought them together.
Now, she and Chloe sat down to answer their fans’ burning questions about the horrific incident in a new YouTube video, and they opened up about how it impacted their relationship
According to Brooklinn, since the attack, her girlfriend has been nothing but supportive – and said Chloe always makes sure to ‘reassure’ her about how ‘beautiful’ she is
When someone asked Chloe if she ever considered leaving Brooklinn because of the way she looked, she responded, ‘No. Never.’ The couple is pictured together in November
‘Just because she doesn’t look like traditionally how everyone looks anymore, I think it’s so cool,’ gushed Chloe. The couple is pictured together in October
‘I was a little bit overwhelmed at first and then I resolved to not putting any pressure on her,’ recalled the actress.
Chloe (pictured with Brooklinn in January) explained that the attack happened five days after they began talking, so they weren’t dating just yet – but it ultimately brought them together
‘I didn’t want to be like, “Are we still going to date? Are we still seeing each other?” So I decided to take a step back, be there for her however she needed, be there more as a friend. I never looked at her any different.’
Brooklinn texted Chloe to tell her what happened, and then Chloe tried to FaceTime her, but she didn’t pick up due to her gruesome injuries.
Brooklinn explained to Chloe: ‘I definitely didn’t want to show you that. I looked at the screen and I saw myself and I was like, “I’m definitely not going to answer the phone like this.” I had blood everywhere.
‘I know you don’t like blood, I knew that literally since I met you and I was not about to answer the phone like that.’
Chloe said she kept telling Brooklinn it was going to be OK since she didn’t know what else to say to her, admitting that the initial weeks after the attack were ‘hard’ for both of them but it helped her learn a lot.
She said she was ‘overwhelmed’ at first, but then, she ‘took a step back’ and decided to ‘be there for her however she needed, as a friend.’ The couple is pictured together in February
Brooklinn tried to FaceTime Chloe after the incident, but she didn’t pick up due to her gruesome injuries. ‘I had blood everywhere,’ Brooklinn (pictured with Chloe on Halloween) said
Chloe admitted that the initial weeks after the attack were ‘hard’ for both of them but it helped her learn a lot. The couple is pictured together in December
‘Looking back, it might not have been helpful but I’ve never been in a situation like this before so I didn’t have the tools and I didn’t have the depth of understanding of what she might need,’ she shared.
‘I was playing catch up just as much as I think you were the whole situation. When you’re in that situation, as a partner to the person going through it – I’m not going to say it’s on the level of what you’re going through but it’s hard because it’s the person that you love going through something. And you’re like, I don’t even know how to help you.’
Brooklinn completed the first round of life-changing surgeries that she will have to get to restore her smile back in December – with Chloe by her side throughout the entire process.
She underwent a 20-hour surgery, where doctors removed skin and an artery from her arm and attached it to her mouth to act as a new lip – something called a skin graft.
Chloe said the attack completely changed her perspective on the world, making her want to be more ‘caring, empathetic, and compassionate.’ The couple is pictured together in October
Brooklinn and Chloe first confirmed that they were dating back in October, when Brooklinn shared a pic of them holding hands to Instagram, which she captioned, ‘My favorite human’
They celebrated their one-year anniversary together in November 2021, with both of them sharing sweet tributes for the occasion. The couple is pictured together in December
They then made an incision in her neck and went in and connected the artery so that blood could flow to the new lip. The surgery was successful, but she still has a long road ahead of her – with at least five more procedures to go.
In the YouTube video, Chloe said the attack completely changed her perspective on the world.
‘I always thought of myself as an empathetic and caring person and I just realized, because society doesn’t acknowledge people who have gone through things that you have – people who are like you – we simply pretend that it doesn’t exist,’ she said to Brooklinn.
‘I was just unaware of a lot of it. It’s made me so much more aware and conscious of the fact that like, there are so many people who have gone through things – who look different and feel different, who have different lives because of things that have happened to them.
‘You should always be caring and understanding, you should always be empathetic, you should always be compassionate.’
Brooklinn agreed: ‘You truly don’t know what anyone is going through. And just because they don’t have a physical difference doesn’t mean they’re not going through something mentally.’
Brooklinn and Chloe first confirmed that they were dating back in October, when Brooklinn shared a pic of them holding hands to Instagram, which she captioned, ‘My favorite human.’
And in December 2021 she posted a tribute for their one year anniversary.
Brooklinn completed the first round of life-changing surgeries that she will have to get to restore her smile back in December. She is pictured after the surgery
She underwent 20-hour surgery, where doctors removed skin and an artery from her arm and attached it to her mouth through her neck, so that it could act as a new lip
Chloe was by her side throughout the entire process. Days after the surgery, she shared a photo that showed her girlfriend laying in bed next to her at the hospital
The surgery was successful, but she still has a long road ahead of her – with at least five more procedures to go. She is pictured before (left) and after (right) the surgery
‘This year, because of you, has been, by far, the greatest year of my life,’ she gushed.
‘@chloelukasiak I will always love the way you get excited about the smell of Barnes and noble, or the way you scream when you get excited about a movie, or how you always have fresh cookies on the stove, and you not being able to resist Cold Stone.
‘You have taught me patience, you have shown me so, so, so much love, kindness, and compassion, and so much more. I will forever treasure the love we have for each other. I love you.’
Chloe also celebrated their anniversary with a touching Instagram post.
She wrote: ‘Every single day with you is a beautiful adventure and I am so, so grateful for that one random afternoon in October.
‘You are a walking, vibrant ray of sunshine and you light up the whole world. I will never get enough of watching you skate, hearing your laugh, and listening to your stories of all the interactions you had that day and how happy they made you. You make me the happiest. I love you.’
The 22-year-old admitted in the YouTube video that since the attack, she is treated very differently by society.
The 22-year-old admitted in the YouTube video that since the attack, she is treated very differently by society. She is pictured before (left) and after (right) the attack
Brooklinn (pictured before the attack) admitted: ‘It’s very draining emotionally and also physically because I know people are staring at me’
‘When I’m out walking, they’ll either stare or just come up to me like, “What’s wrong with your face?” and ask my straight up,’ Brooklinn shared.
‘It’s like a constant thing, I’m always having to explain myself everyday like, “I got attacked by a dog. I got attacked by a dog.”
‘It’s very draining emotionally and also physically because I know people are staring at me.’
But Chloe does her best to protect her from nasty onlookers – and from passing dogs. The couple is pictured together in February
But Chloe does her best to protect her from nasty onlookers – and from passing dogs.
‘We’ll be in public and we’ll see a dog and she’ll be scared but park herself in front of me – protecting me,’ said Brooklinn.
‘But she’s literally about to try. That’s one thing that I love but I’m like, “You don’t have to do that.”‘
Chloe admitted that the incident has made her much more fearful of bigger canines.
She continued, ‘Any pet is an animal first and a pet second, regardless of what it is. I think it’s important to stay a little bit cautious around any animal.
‘I’m not fearful of all dogs, like if I see a tiny chihuahua I’m not like, “Oh my God.” But I’m way more cautious now.
‘For Brooklinn, it’s more a of therapeutic thing to see a dog and go pet it and remind herself that not every dog is gonna attack her.
‘For me, I think because it didn’t happen to me and I didn’t have that first hand experience, I’m more fearful than you now.’
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