Mum's life 'ruined' after friend's sausage dog 'ripped her cheek off and ate it'

A single mum has been left with life-changing injuries after a friend's sausage dog savagely attacked her, tearing off a large chunk of her cheek and eating it in front of her.

Kelly Allen was socialising at a pal's home last month when the normally "very friendly" dachshund turned aggressive and bit her face. The vicious attack resulted in the 45-year-old suffering an open wound so severe that it required over five hours of reconstructive surgery and more than 40 stitches to address.

The pet was seized by police following the incident and has since been euthanised. Traumatised by the event, Kelly revealed her "life has been ruined" and her self-esteem "absolutely destroyed" due to the scarring.

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She discovered that the dog had a history of aggression, having reportedly bitten two others before her, and is now pursuing compensation, although the process could take years. Haunted by the experience, Kelly often wakes up crying and feels unable to return to her job at TUI's contact centre because of the psychological impact and her altered appearance.

Accompanied by her sons Fletcher, 19, and Cooper, 18, whenever she steps outside, Kelly is struggling financially as the £350 monthly statutory sick pay fails to meet her living expenses. In a desperate bid to keep her head above water, Kelly is relying on the support of her family.

Her sister Stacey, 43, has set up a fundraising page which has already amassed over £1,000 in donations. "I can't get out of bed and I've been crying in my sleep because I feel his teeth in me," Kelly told PA Real Life.

"I'm left with a hideous scar on my face. It's just ruined my life, because it will never be the same now. I now have to buy camouflage make-up for people who have facial disfigurements – that's something I never thought I would have to do."

"I'm a single mum and I can't afford my electric and gas most weeks – it just seems so unfair."

Kelly had gone to a friend's house for drinks on Friday March 15. Her friend, who she does not wish to name, had a pet dachshund which was showing no signs of aggression when Kelly arrived at around 9:30pm.

"He was very friendly and didn't show any signs of being an aggressive dog," she said. "He was laying on his back for belly rubs, and put his head in my lap a couple of times."

But later that evening, Kelly was sitting on the kitchen floor, leaning against one of the kitchen counters, when the dog's demeanour suddenly changed. When she looked away for a split second, the dog pounced, sinking its teeth into her cheek.

"I turned my head towards the back door, where my friend was standing," said Kelly. "He didn't bark or growl, or make any noise, he just lunged and attached to my face.

"He then started ragging, shaking his head back and forward. I could feel his teeth deep inside my cheek – I still get flashbacks now."

Kelly remembers repeatedly shouting "get him off" as blood began to poor down her face. Another friend rushed into the kitchen and grabbed the dog's collar, but its jaws were locked and would not let go.

"The only reason he got off was because he ripped that piece of flesh off and ate it," she said. "He didn't release, he pulled it off and I felt the skin tear."

As Kelly stumbled to her feet, the dog bit her again, this time on her arm. Fortunately, she was able to break free and run out of the room.

"I've never had so much blood," she added. "I looked in her mirror which was straight in front of me and thought 'shit, I'm in trouble'."

They immediately called 999 but were told there was a considerable wait. Fearing she would "bleed to death", Kelly, from Swansea, called a friend who had not been drinking with them and asked for a lift to accident and emergency at Morriston Hospital.

"They numbed the area and scrubbed the wound with what looked like a Brillo pad because of all the bacteria that's in dogs' mouths," she said. "They were leaning me over a sink and scrub, scrub, scrub, scrub, scrub... it was agony."

"They then poured water over me for five minutes, which felt like I was being waterboarded. It was horrific."

With her wound bandaged, Kelly was told she could return home and wait for the plastic surgery team to contact her. At 7.50am, she received a phone call from the hospital telling her to "come back immediately" as she needed to have surgery.

"I met with the plastics team who explained what they were going to do," she said. "They were going to take a piece of skin from my neck and graft it on my face."

Kelly was on the operating table for five and half hours before waking with a bandage stitched to her face and a seven-inch scar across her collarbone. In total, she required more than 40 stitches – 36 on her chest and six on her arm.

The ordeal has taken a heavy toll on her mental health and knocked her confidence.

"My self-esteem has been absolutely destroyed and I don't go out any more," said Kelly. "If it wasn't for my close friends and family, I don't know where I would be now."

"I can't go to the shops any more, unless my son comes with me. I just don't live my life."

She has not been able to face going back to work since the attack.

"I can't go back to work, because I can't face people, I just can't do it," she said. "I can't concentrate and I don't know what's going to happen."

The incident has also put a lot of strain on Kelly's finances as she only receives £350 a month statutory sick pay.

"My employers have been amazing and really supportive," she said. "I'm now making a legal claim, but that could take up to two years and in the meantime I've got no income.

"I'm not entitled to anything else because I'm still employed and I can't give up my job to get income support, because then I lose my job. So I'm just in a really hard place at the moment."

To help cover her bills, Kelly's sister has launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe which has already received more than £1,000 in donations. It transpired that this was not the first time the dog had attacked someone.

Kelly said she did not want to involve the police but they were called after staff at the hospital saw the severity of her wounds. The dog was later removed and put down after being taken to a training facility in Cardiff, according to Kelly.

"I have since found out that the dog had attacked other people," she said. "The people around me have been amazing.

"It's thanks to them that I'm still waking up every day at the moment. I don't think anyone should be on their own going through something like this."