Warning: This article contains images of dog attack wounds that may be considered disturbing.
ENID, Okla. (KFOR) – A woman continues to recover two weeks after she was mauled by three dogs while on a walk around her neighborhood. So far, she’s had four surgeries and will receive a skin graft in the next couple of weeks.
“I’m happy to have her home. Oh, I was so worried the whole time she was gone,” said the woman’s father, Alan Kennedy.
“I’ve had more surgeries than you did, daddy,” said Myriah Uselton.
Uselton is back at her home in Enid, two weeks after she was attacked by a blue heeler and two heeler mixes while on her afternoon walk around the neighborhood.
“I was only like three or four houses down and I would’ve made it home but them dang dogs got me,” she said.
The dog bites were down to the bone, covering her arms, legs and stomach. The wounds were so bad, Uselton was flown to the University of Oklahoma Medical Center in Oklahoma City.
“In a helicopter!” Uselton said.
“What was that like?” News 4 asked her.
“Oh good! I’ve been on a helicopter and an airplane before,” she said.
Uselton may be all smiles now, but at the time, Doctor’s didn’t know if she’d suffer permanent nerve and tendon damage. Thankfully, Kennedy said that doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen.
The worst wound is on her left arm. The tissues and muscles were exposed.
On Thursday, Kennedy said home health care provided Myriah with the wound vac she wore around her neck, to keep bacteria out.
In two weeks, Uselton is expected to go back to OU Health to receive a skin graft.
Since the attack, the dogs were put down and tested negative for rabies. Kennedy said they’ll face hefty fines.
“He got 11 citations,” Kennedy said. “The guy at the dog pound said there was probably $3,000 in fines over all of that.”
When Uselton is feeling better, Kennedy said she’ll have to testify and explain what happened in court.
Because of the trauma, Uselton is still nervous about going on her walks.
“The chances of something happening like that again are slim,” said Kennedy. “I’ll probably go with her and I’ll finally get a can of pepper spray or something.”
For now, Kennedy said the two of them are taking it one day at a time.
“She’s still pretty much the same as she was before. She is tough. You know, I’m so proud of her,” said Kennedy. “Even when she was in the hospital, I was talking to her and I got a tear in my eye and my voice started cracking. She looked up at me and said, ‘Daddy, don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.”
As you can imagine, Kennedy said the medical bills will be pretty hefty. Thankfully, family members have raised $2,500 with the help of a local church.