17-year-old Tracy Azpeitia ended up receiving 500 stitches after she was attacked by the pack of dogs, with her mum admitting she did not even recognise her due to her wounds
A teenager has been left with horrific injuries after being mauled by ten dogs.
Tracy Azpeitia, 17, was jogging and getting some exercise when she was attacked by the pack of dogs. As a result of the sustained ambush, Tracy can no longer walk on her own and has been left with 500 stitches in her leg, as police launch a probe into what happened.
Tracy had been on her way to a workout centre on July 17 when she was tracked down and mauled by the dogs. Police looking into the attack later found a property close to where the incident took place and seized a total of 16 dogs from the home, reports the Mirror.
Tracy’s mum, Maria Azpeitia, said that after she was taken to hospital, her daughter was pleading for support. “I got close to her and [she asked me]: ‘Mom, am I still pretty?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, you’re beautiful’.”
The attack happened in the Californian city of Newberry Springs, with reports first being made after a neighbour heard the teenager screaming for help. The distressed bystander soon discovered Tracy as she was being mauled and soon called the police, who arrived shortly after.
Speaking to local station ABC7, Maria told the media: “I thought they ripped her arms off. That’s what it looked like.
“I didn’t know who she was,” she startlingly recalled. “She was so dirty, covered in dirt, so I couldn’t recognise my daughter; I recognised her bra, that’s what I recognised.
“I thought she was going to be fine because she walks to her bus stop every morning,” Maria added. “I never thought anything would happen to her.”
Stepdad Carlos Ramirez went on to explain that in the wake of the attack, Tracy was in need of 500 stitches due to the different bites and cuts she sustained from the dogs. According to his testimony, every single body part sustained injuries other than her ankles.
Since the attack, the teenage girl has been able to be released from hospital, but her parents admitted she is still unable to walk on her own due to her injuries. As a result of the incident, a GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family recover the costs of the medical treatment.
In the fundraising campaign, Tracy’s family said that she was supposed to be getting ready for her senior year of high school later this year before she was attacked. However, since then she has been completely impacted due to the attack – both mentally and physically.
“Now, because of this, she has to stay home and go to several doctor’s appointments and rehab,” the fundraiser explained. “Due to the trauma, she cannot sleep at night; she’s having nightmares.”
This is not the first time that a family has suffered at the hands of a four-legged friend. In the state of Ohio, a toddler was tragically mauled to death by the family pit bull.
Blakely Blosser was killed after her mum Nicole turned around for just one second to pick up some laundry from the floor. In that split moment, the dog became aggressive and violent, biting the youngster several times, including her face and throat – eventually causing her sad death.
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