9-Year-Old Girl Mauled by Dog in Front of Her Sister as They Were Sitting Outside of Their Home: ‘Everybody Was Just Screaming’

A 9-year-old girl is on the mend after suffering significant injuries when she was attacked by a dog outside her family’s apartment in Hanceville, Alabama.

On Friday, Nov. 7, Delyla McCay was sitting on the steps of her apartment building with her 13-year-old sister, McKenzie, waiting for their dad to pick them up when a dog suddenly “grabbed” her face, according to local outlet WHNT.

The blue heeler was being walked by a child at the time, but the leash was reportedly dropped when the child became frightened, per Cleveland 19 News. A teenager attempted to pull the dog away, but the animal lunged again, attacking Delyla a second time.

Following the incident, Delyla was airlifted to a children’s hospital to be treated for severe facial injuries, according to a GoFundMe launched by her mother, Katie McCay.

Katie told Cleveland 19 News that her daughter was silent during the aftermath of the attack: “McKenzie said afterwards, everybody was just screaming. Delyla actually wasn’t screaming. She was in shock.”

The GoFundMe page shows photos of Delyla with extensive swelling, bruising, and stitches across her nose, mouth, cheeks, and upper lip.

Katie shared that her daughter will undergo plastic surgery and rabies treatment. “With me having insurance for her, I figured we’d be okay, but in co-pays alone over the weekend, we’ve spent $300,” she wrote. “That’s not including what’s coming for the helicopter ride, the plastic surgeon appointment on Thursday, and the general surgeon appointment on Friday, on top of the ER visits for her rabies shots because only the ER carries it.”

According to Katie, daily care has been emotionally and financially challenging: “Her dad’s had to get her a special shower head, a water flosser to rinse her mouth because her top lip is detached,” she wrote.

The fundraiser has collected more than $8,600 so far to help support Delyla’s recovery.

Katie said the incident has been reported to Cullman County Animal Control (CCAC), noting that the attack happened without any provocation. “I’ve never dealt with nothing like that in my life, and I just wouldn’t wish it on anybody,” she told Cleveland 19 News. “There’s a lot of people that ask, ‘What was she doing to the dog? Was it provoked?’ My kid was just sitting there.”