A hairdresser has been scarred for life and 'left with PTSD' after her nose was torn off in a horror dog attack. Dog lover Ashley Unger had been playing with and cuddling the pitbull at a client's house before it sank its teeth into her as she tried to leave.
The 31-year-old had been playfully rolling around with the mutt that belonged to her customer's roommate in between touching up her hair on March 17th before it suddenly attacked.The traumatised stylist was rushed to hospital while holding her face together with the bone exposed where doctors stitched together her flesh.
Horrifying photos show Ashley's bloodied face, severed septum and blown out cartilage after her nose was left 'literally hanging off'. Stunned doctors stitched her face together but now her sister Melissa Schmidt has launched a GoFundMe page to raise $20,000 for reconstructive surgery.
Ashley, from Plainfield, Illionois, US, said: "It was the first time I'd met the dog, I'm a dog person so I was playing with him. I was there for about five hours that day. He was on my chest and I was cuddling him an hour before he attacked me.
"I'm very grateful he didn't bite me when I was lying down because it would be a lot worse. As I was about to leave through the front door, the dog started running from the kitchen so I crouched to stop him from going outside.
"I didn't touch him, he was about a foot away from me, I heard the nastiest growl of my entire life. The next thing I know, my nose is hanging off and I was holding my face together. It was the worst pain I'd ever been in.
"I screamed, the client said she'll never get that scream out of her mind. I screamed like my life depended on it, he got off me and next thing I know he's in the corner on the other side of the room.
"The client is telling me not to look but of course I did, all I saw was bone. I was in so much shock. I have PTSD, sometimes I get flashbacks.
"It makes me so uncomfortable, you don't think this could happen to you." Ashley was left with a severed septum and cartilage and now can't breathe through her nose.
Her horrified boyfriend James Stack, 30, was left in tears at the sight of her. Doctors have said Ashley will need multiple reconstructive surgeries and that she will be scarred for life.
Ashley said: "I'm going to be scarred for life. The doctor at the hospital said I was messed up, he said it's one of the worst dog bite cases he's seen and he works in ER so he's seen some stuff. A specialist told him on the phone to make sure my skin is covered so there are no infections.
"I've had 36 stitches across my nose, five across my eye and two across my upper lip. My septum is severed and there's cartilage blown out.
"I have good days and bad days but I look in the mirror and I don't like what I see, I miss my face. I can only breathe out of my mouth and the worst case scenario is that the surgery won't improve anything. It's taken some practice, I've learned a lot of patience through this process.
"My family and James cried when they saw me. I FaceTimed my mum. I was so upset, which hurt her, she knew how much pain I was in.
"She wanted to take it away but I wouldn't wish it on anybody. Nobody knew what to do." The traumatic incident has left Ashley terrified of dogs and now she's only happy to be around her own dog, five-year-old bullmastiff, Lucy.
Ashley said: "If I don't know a dog, I can't be around it and I'm worried about going into clients' homes.Through my personal experience, [I would advise] do not crouch down or get on the same level with a dog you do not know, even if they seem friendly.
"Even if you do feel comfortable around the dog they can still be unpredictable. Keep your guard up, always." You can donate to Ashley's page here.
