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A woman who lost the tip of her nose in a grisly dog attack is experiencing some hurdles in her recovery.
Trinity Rowles was attacked by her dad’s rescue dog in September of last year.
Rowles, 20, has had four surgeries so far and is due to get up to six more on her face. But one operation — a skin graft — left her with a big facial change.
The skin graft used skin from the top of her forehead and scalp, which means now Rowles has hair growing out of the skin of her reconstructed nose.
Her father’s Pitbull-Bulldog mix, named Irish, bit off the end of her nose, sunk his teeth into her arms and dragged her on the ground.
Rowles said the attack was “so out of character” for the dog.
“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 said.
But while visiting her dad’s house on the day Irish attacked her, she and her dad had gotten into an argument, creating a “heated environment” which may have triggered the attack.
“These kinds of breeds are very emotional, and putting them in high conflict and emotional situations isn’t the best for them. Animals can only communicate in so many ways,” Rowles said.
When she started to walk away, Irish attacked. Rowles then started yelling that the dog was biting her nose.
Her dad put her in the fetal position and tried his best to protect her, but the dog kept on biting.
“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 suddenly, like the flick of a switch, Irish just walked away and sat at the porch stairs.”
Rowles’ dad and neighbors came to help as they called the police and an ambulance. While they waited for help to come, her dad brought Irish inside.
“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,” Rowles said.
The attack only lasted a few minutes, but she said it felt like the longest time of her life.
“During the attack, it was like I was in and out of reality. My fight or flight kicked in but still knew what was happening to me,” she shared. “I knew I was getting attacked and being bitten, but only to a certain extent. I could feel the pain but I had no idea about the extent of the injuries.”
Rowles was left with injuries to her face, ears and arm. She lost a lot of blood from her arm, saying, “it was like a puddle in my hand.”
“I was taken to the hospital, and I don’t remember much after that. My mom met me there and she told me that the doctors were literally putting their hands inside my arms because of how extensive the wounds were,” she said.
She was in the hospital for four days to start, but after going home for a couple of days, had to go back for nose reconstruction.
The aftermath of the incident has affected Rowles’ confidence and it’s been hard for her to deal with the physical changes to her face.
“I know what dogs are capable of now. I never properly thought about it before or what damage dogs can do,” she said.
Rowles has also been dealing with the attack’s mental impact.
“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 said.
Despite her life-altering facial changes and PTSD, Rowles is focusing on the silver lining — a changed outlook on life.
“Having a near-death experience has changed my perspective on life, and I am really grateful to still be here as it could have been a lot worse,” she said. “Although this has been a life-changing and horrendous experience, I am just so glad to still be here.”
Trinity Rowles was attacked by her dad’s rescue dog in September of last year.
Rowles, 20, has had four surgeries so far and is due to get up to six more on her face. But one operation — a skin graft — left her with a big facial change.
The skin graft used skin from the top of her forehead and scalp, which means now Rowles has hair growing out of the skin of her reconstructed nose.
Her father’s Pitbull-Bulldog mix, named Irish, bit off the end of her nose, sunk his teeth into her arms and dragged her on the ground.
Rowles said the attack was “so out of character” for the dog.
“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 said.
But while visiting her dad’s house on the day Irish attacked her, she and her dad had gotten into an argument, creating a “heated environment” which may have triggered the attack.
“These kinds of breeds are very emotional, and putting them in high conflict and emotional situations isn’t the best for them. Animals can only communicate in so many ways,” Rowles said.
When she started to walk away, Irish attacked. Rowles then started yelling that the dog was biting her nose.
Her dad put her in the fetal position and tried his best to protect her, but the dog kept on biting.
“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 suddenly, like the flick of a switch, Irish just walked away and sat at the porch stairs.”
Rowles’ dad and neighbors came to help as they called the police and an ambulance. While they waited for help to come, her dad brought Irish inside.
“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,” Rowles said.
The attack only lasted a few minutes, but she said it felt like the longest time of her life.
“During the attack, it was like I was in and out of reality. My fight or flight kicked in but still knew what was happening to me,” she shared. “I knew I was getting attacked and being bitten, but only to a certain extent. I could feel the pain but I had no idea about the extent of the injuries.”
Rowles was left with injuries to her face, ears and arm. She lost a lot of blood from her arm, saying, “it was like a puddle in my hand.”
“I was taken to the hospital, and I don’t remember much after that. My mom met me there and she told me that the doctors were literally putting their hands inside my arms because of how extensive the wounds were,” she said.
She was in the hospital for four days to start, but after going home for a couple of days, had to go back for nose reconstruction.
The aftermath of the incident has affected Rowles’ confidence and it’s been hard for her to deal with the physical changes to her face.
“I know what dogs are capable of now. I never properly thought about it before or what damage dogs can do,” she said.
Rowles has also been dealing with the attack’s mental impact.
“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 said.
Despite her life-altering facial changes and PTSD, Rowles is focusing on the silver lining — a changed outlook on life.
“Having a near-death experience has changed my perspective on life, and I am really grateful to still be here as it could have been a lot worse,” she said. “Although this has been a life-changing and horrendous experience, I am just so glad to still be here.”
