An Oregon family is struggling with an unimaginably difficult time as their 1-year-old daughter was severely injured in a surprise dog attack on Sunday afternoon.
Her mother, Merissa Carron, describes a day that had started out as any normally would. She had just come home from church with her two little girls, both carrying Happy Meals in their hands and skipping towards the front door. Before she even had time to get settled, it all changed. Two dogs came running out of an apartment complex next door without notice.
Instinct took over. Merissa grabbed her 3-year-old, Kinsley May, and pushed her out of the way. Then, the dogs targeted the baby. Merissa fought as hard as she could—pulling, pushing, screaming—trying to fend off the attack. She said the whole thing lasted only moments, but it felt like some nightmare unfolding right in her view.
The 1-year-old sustained life-threatening injuries: a fractured skull, deep lacerations of the head, including one near her eye, of the abdomen, and along the lower back. She was taken to Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland, where physicians immediately conducted multiple procedures. Additional surgeries may still be required. Her family says she is stable after the first surgery but will need long-term care and a long road of healing.
One of the dogs involved has already been surrendered and euthanized. Authorities are still deciding what to do with the second dog. Merissa says she had warned apartment management several times in the months prior to the attack that she was afraid something like this would happen, and a witness testifies there had been earlier issues with the same dogs, though police say they don’t have an official record on file.
On top of the physical injuries, Merissa fears for her older daughter’s emotional wellbeing. Three-year-old Kinsley saw part of the attack, and her mother believes the memory may stay with her for a long time.
What started as a rather unassuming Sunday afternoon for this family turned into a tragedy that is even now too hard to survive, day after excruciating day.
