Trinity Rowles: Trainee nurse scarred for life after dad's rescue dog rips off her nose in vicious attack
HERSHEY, PENNSYLVANIA: An unprovoked attack on a trainee nurse by her father's rescue dog has left her scarred for life. Trinity Rowles was grisly assaulted by her father's rescue dog which ripped off her nose in September 2022 in Pennsylvania. Rowles, 20, has already had four surgeries and might yet need up to six more on her face. She did, however, get a skin transplant-skin graft that significantly altered her face.
Rowles currently has hair sprouting out of the skin of her repaired nose since the skin for the skin transplant was taken from the top of her forehead and scalp. During the attack, Irish, the Pitbull-Bulldog mix owned by her father, chewed off the tip of her nose, bit into her arms, and pulled her to the ground, which led her to get multiple surgeries. According to Rowles, the dog's attack was "so out of character." "Irish was my dad’s rescue dog. He’d had him for about five years and he was like a great big teddy bear. He was so lovable and really soft. I would always go around and see him, and I even looked after him when my dad was out of town," she said, New York Post reported.
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'These kinds of breeds are very emotional'
Irish attacked Rowles on the day she was visiting her father's house. She and her father got into a fight while at his house possibly setting up a "heated environment" that led to the attack. “These kinds of breeds are very emotional, and putting them in high conflict and emotional situations isn’t the best for them. Animals can only communicate in so many ways,” Rowles said.
Rowles said: "Irish attacked me as I walked away. I fell to the ground and that's when I felt him starting to bite my nose. I was yelling that he was biting my nose. My dad put me in the fetal position to try and protect me as much as he could, but Irish kept trying to get at me and continued to bite me. He then latched on to my arm and began playing tug of war with it as if my arm was a toy, and dragged her across the yard." She added, "Then suddenly, like the flick of a switch, Irish just walked away and sat at the porch stairs." Rowles' father and neighbors rushed to help and she was immediately transferred to a hospital. Rowles further shared, "When the police arrived, I remember I was getting put on to a stretcher and heard my dad shout ‘just do it’ before the sound of gunshots being discharged.”
'I was in and out of reality'
Rowles claimed that although the assault only lasted a few minutes, it seemed to last for a lifetime for her. “During the attack, it was like I was in and out of reality. My fight or flight kicked in but still knew what was happening to me,” she shared. “I knew I was getting attacked and being bitten, but only to a certain extent. I could feel the pain but I had no idea about the extent of the injuries,” the trainee nurse added. It was reported that Rowles had been injured in the face, ears, and arm. She lost a lot of blood from her arm, saying, “it was like a puddle in my hand.”
“I was taken to the hospital, and I don’t remember much after that. My mom met me there and she told me that the doctors were literally putting their hands inside my arms because of how extensive the wounds were,” Rowles said. She first spent four days in the hospital, however, after spending a few days at home, she returned to the hospital for a nose repair. Rowles' confidence has been impacted by the incident's aftermath and she has struggled to accept the physical alterations to her face. “I know what dogs are capable of now. I never properly thought about it before or what damage dogs can do,” she said.
Rowles has also been dealing with the attack’s mental impact. “I don’t sleep well anymore because of my flashbacks and I have a really bad fear of dogs now too. I am on medication and go to therapy to help me deal with my PTSD,” the trainee nurse added. Rowles is concentrating on the bright side of her life despite her PTSD and life-altering face alterations. “Having a near-death experience has changed my perspective on life, and I am really grateful to still be here as it could have been a lot worse,” she said. Rowles added, “Although this has been a life-changing and horrendous experience, I am just so glad to still be here.”
