A Texas college student who was mauled by two dogs while dog-sitting for a Dallas doctor has been left ‘permanently and catastrophically disfigured’ after losing ‘most of her face below her eyes,’ according to a lawsuit.
Jacqueline Durand, a 22-year-old student at the University of Texas at Dallas, went to the home of Dr. Justin Bishop and his wife Ashley on December 23 after being hired to dog sit while they were away.
Durand’s lawyers say that as soon as she opened the door to their home, she was viciously mauled by Lucy, a German Shepherd mix-breed and Bender, a pit bull mix-breed.
Jacqueline Durand, (pictured) a 22 year-old student University of Texas at Dallas, went to the home of Dr. Justin Bishop and his wife Ashley after being hired to dog sit
A sign on the door warns: ‘Crazy Dogs. Please don’t knock or ring the bell. call or text instead.’
‘The owner assured Jacqueline that the dogs would be crated,’ Durand’s attorney Chip Brooker said in a statement.
‘But, shortly before her first visit, the owner texted Jacqueline to tell her that she failed to crate the dogs before leaving town. A sign on the front door even warns visitors about the violent pets that live at the home.
‘Crazy Dogs. Please Don’t Knock or Ring the Bell. Call or Text Instead,’ reads a sign.
After the dogs pushed the door open, they knocked Durand off balance, causing her to fall and drop her cell phone.
The dogs then proceeded to maul her ‘catastrophically’- tearing off and eating both of her ears, her nose, her lips, and most of her face below her eyes, the lawsuit states.
The Dogs were so violent and blood thirsty that they pulled all of Jacqueline’s clothes off, including her blue jeans.
Durand (pictured) was left with hundreds of puncture wounds and remains hospitalized after undergoing multiple reconstructive surgeries, with more to go
The attack happened one day before her 22nd birthday and just few days after she had already been to meet both dogs at their home with their owner, specifically to get to know them and their routines.
During the brutal attack the dogs attacked her entire body leaving her with hundreds of puncture wounds.
She currently remains hospitalized having undergone multiple reconstructive surgeries, with more to come.
In a January 18 Facebook post, Durand thanked people for their well-wishes from her hospital bed.
The attack happened days after the 22-year-old met both dogs in their home with their owner to get to know them and their routine (Durand pictured before mauling)
‘I am so blessed to be surrounded by so much love and support as I go through this hard time in my life. Thank you everyone who is supporting and loving me every step of the way since the beginning! I am making good progress every single day that I’m here. Prayers are being answered! Thank you,’ she wrote
The dogs were captured and placed in the care of the City of Coppell before a municipal judge decided that both dogs should be euthanized, the suit said.
Durand is accusing Dr. Bishop and his wife of negligence for allegedly failing to control, secure and train the animals, as well as ‘failing to provide a safe environment for their invitees,’ according to the suit.
The 22-year-old is seeking a jury trial and compensation of more than $1 million.
‘Jacqueline will forever measure her life in terms of before and after opening that door,’ Brooker said. ‘She will be permanently disfigured for the rest of her life, and we filed this lawsuit to make sure all the responsible parties are held accountable.’
Between 2005 and 2017, there were a total of 433 deaths caused by dogs in the U.S.
Pit bulls continue to top the list of America’s most dangerous dog breeds, having been responsible for 284 fatal attacks on humans from 2005 to 2017.
The second breed on the list, Rottweilers, came a distant second with 45.
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