Alabama girl, 9, mauled by dog that ‘grabbed’ her face — until hero teen beat monster back
Delyla McCay, 9, was sitting outside her Hanceville apartment when a blue heeler suddenly clamped onto her face. WVTM 13 News, /YouTube
A 9-year-old Alabama girl is recovering from severe injuries after being violently attacked by a dog that latched onto her face and later bit her back.
Delyla McCay had been sitting outside her apartment in Hanceville on Nov. 7 with her 13-year-old sister when a blue heeler being walked by another child suddenly lunged at her, her mother told WBRC. The dog clamped down on the girl’s face and wouldn’t release until a nearby teenager intervened and struck the dog in an attempt to free her. The teen was bitten as well, but the dog returned moments later and tore into Delyla’s back.
“Delyla told me, ‘Mommy, it grabbed my face and it was just shaking,’” her mother, Katie McCay, recalled. She said the attack triggered panicked screams as her daughter froze, unable to move.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone,” McCay said. “She’s the sweetest kid in the world. A lot of people ask what she did to provoke it — but she was just sitting there. She didn’t do anything.”
A medical helicopter rushed the child to Children’s Hospital. Photos posted on a family-run GoFundMe show deep, bloody injuries across her face, which required dozens of stitches on her nose, mouth, cheeks, and upper lip. She also received stitches on her back and other areas, underwent rabies treatment, and will need plastic surgery to repair the damage, her mother said.
“Her face is still really swollen, and I think she’s still in shock,” McCay added. Delyla was released from the hospital Monday night and faces a long recovery. “For days all I could do was cry. Now I’m angry. It’s hard for everyone involved — I know the other family must feel awful too.”
Cullman County Animal Control confirmed to WHNT that the dog was euthanized, and its remains were sent for testing because it was not up to date on vaccinations. Authorities say the investigation remains active.
About Post Author
