Victim of dog-mauling attack is 'relearning to walk, speak and chew'

February 3, 2022

Sister of Texas student who is left ‘permanently and catastrophically disfigured’ after being mauled by dogs says she recalls much of the attack and that ‘knowing she doesn’t have ears or a lip or a nose is really hard for her’

Jacqueline Durand, a 22 year-old college student in Texas, was hired to dog sit three dogs at the of Dr. Justin Bishop and his wife Ashley after being hired
Prior to Durand’s first visit, Bishop’s wife had texted the dog-sitter that the dogs would be in their kennels – but they weren’t
When Durand entered the home, she was viciously mauled by two dogs – a German Shepherd mix-breed and a Pit Bull mix breed
The dogs tore both of her ears, nose, lips and most of her face below her eyes
A sign on the door warns visitors of the ‘crazy dogs’ inside the home
Durand was left with hundreds of puncture wounds and remains hospitalized having undergone multiple reconstructive surgeries, with several more to go
She is in a local hospital, re-learning how to walk, speak and chew but is struggling to come to terms with her recovery
Durand, who recalls much of the attack after falling into a coma, is now seeking $1 million in damages from the Bishops
Allegations based on based on a complaint filed in the lawsuit in Dallas County

A Texas student who is ‘permanently and catastrophically disfigured’ after being mauled by two ‘crazy dogs’ is re-learning how to walk, speak and chew, but ‘knowing she doesn’t have ears or a lip or a nose is really hard for her,’ her sister said.

Barreca Durand, 24, said it’s been hard to watch her younger sister and ‘built-in best friend’, Jacqueline, 22, struggling to recover and do simple things, after miraculously surviving a dog mauling on December 23.

‘Jacqueline is holding up okay, but every day is a challenge,’ Durand told People in a story published Feb 1. ‘She is learning how to retrain her jaw to open again because the muscles are gone in her face. Knowing she doesn’t have ears or a lip or a nose is really hard for her.’

Being confined to a hospital bed for weeks after the attack in Coppell, Texas, has caused the muscles in Jacqueline’s toes to weaken, and now, ‘she is re-learning how to walk,’ Durand added.

‘I have been with her every step of the way, and I told her no matter how many surgeries you have or how long you are in the hospital, or where you end up having to go for these surgeries, I will be there, every step of the way.’

The victim’s father, John, said that his daughter recalls much of the attack, saying that ‘she stayed conscious’ and ‘felt like she knew that this was a day she was probably going to die.’

‘It’s heartbreaking,’ Barreca Durand added. ‘She suffered a serious traumatic event, and I think she remembers quite a bit of it, which is really hard for my family to come to terms with, because when she was in the coma, we prayed so hard that she would forget it.’

Jacqueline Durand (left), 22, was left with hundreds of puncture wounds and a disfigured face after she was mauled by two vicious dogs in Coppell, Texas, last year. Her sister, Barreca (right) says it’s hard for her sibling to know that ‘she doesn’t have ears or a lip or a nose’

Durant, a college student at UT Dallas, is ‘learning how to retrain her jaw to open again because the muscles are gone in her face,’ her sister, Being confined to a hospital bed for weeks after the attack in Coppell, Texas, has caused the muscles in Jacqueline’s toes to weaken, and now, ‘she is re-learning how to walk,’ Barreca said. She is also re-learning how to walk after being bedridden in a hospital bed for so long

The victim’s father, John (right), said that his daughter remembers much of the attack and hopes that ‘she can return to whatever her normalcy will be one day but we will be with her every step of the way.’ Barreca (left) revealed that the family ‘had prayed so hard’ for Durand forget it

https://youtube.com/watch?v=TAHW3DzpTaw%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1

Jaqueline Durand, who is a student at the University of Texas at Dallas, went to the home of Dr. Justin Bishop, 41, a head and neck specialist in Dallas, and Ashley Jo Bishop, 39, on December 23 having been hired to dog-sit while they were away.

‘The owner assured Jacqueline that the dogs would be crated,’ Durand’s attorney Chip Brooker said in a statement.

‘But, shortly before her first visit, the owner texted Jacqueline to tell her that she failed to crate the dogs before leaving town. A sign on the front door even warns visitors about the violent pets that live at the home.

‘Crazy Dogs. Please Don’t Knock or Ring the Bell. Call or Text Instead,’ reads the sign.

Dr. Justin Bishop, 41, is head and neck pathologist in Dallas, Texas. His wife texted Jacqueline on December 23 to tell her that she failed to crate the dogs before leaving town, shortly before the dog sitter’s first visit to the couple’s home

Durand’s lawyer said that as soon as she opened the door to their home, the dogs pounced and she was viciously mauled by Lucy, the German Shepherd mixed-breed and Bender, the pit bull mix.

After she went inside, the dogs then proceeded to maul her ‘catastrophically,’ tearing off and eating both of her ears, her nose, her lips, and most of her face below her eyes, the lawsuit states.

The attack happened one day before her 22nd birthday and just a few days after she already had met both dogs at their home with their owner, specifically to get to know them and their routines.

The suit argues that the situation Durand was entering was even more dangerous by virtue of the fact the dogs were not in their kennels, as had been promised.

Durand is seeking a jury trial and compensation of more than $1 million. The lawsuit was filed on January 25 in Dallas County.

It claims the two dogs knocked the victim off balance, causing her to fall and drop her cell phone. They pulled all of Jacqueline’s clothes off, including her blue jeans. The attack only ended after a neighbor heard the commotion from next door.

A sign on the door warns: ‘Crazy Dogs. Please don’t knock or ring the bell. call or text instead.’

The attack took place at the Bishop family home, pictured, in the northwest suburbs of Dallas, Texas

The emergency services were immediately called and Durand was taken straight to a Level 1 trauma center, equipped to handle the most serious of conditions.

During the brutal incident, the dogs left hundreds of puncture wounds all over her body.

‘She is so strong,’ her sister said. ‘The fact that she survived this alone, because the pit bull was 90 pounds, and she wasn’t much bigger than 110 pounds at the time.’

Durand currently remains hospitalized having undergone multiple reconstructive surgeries, with more to come.

In a January 18 Facebook post, she thanked people for their well-wishes from her hospital bed.

‘I am so blessed to be surrounded by so much love and support as I go through this hard time in my life. Thank you everyone who is supporting and loving me every step of the way since the beginning! I am making good progress every single day that I’m here. Prayers are being answered! Thank you,’ the victim wrote.

The attack happened just a day before the victim’s birthday and after she met both dogs in their home with their owner to get to know them and their routine

Durand, who has two golden retrievers of her own, is seeking a jury trial and compensation of more than $1 million

The dogs were captured and placed in the care of the City of Coppell before a municipal judge decided that both dogs should be euthanized, the suit said.

Durand is accusing the Bishops of negligence for allegedly failing to control, secure and train the animals, as well as ‘failing to provide a safe environment for their invitees,’ according to the suit.

The lawsuit lays the blame directly on the Bishops who allowed the animals to remain on their property while ‘knowing they had dangerous propensities.’

It alleges the Bishops knew of the dog’s tendencies towards violence because of the ‘crazy dogs’ warning sign that was visible to anyone walking up to the front door.

‘Jacqueline will forever measure her life in terms of before and after opening that door,’ Brooker said. ‘She will be permanently disfigured for the rest of her life, and we filed this lawsuit to make sure all the responsible parties are held accountable.’

Dailymail.com has been unable to reach the Bishops for comment. A GoFundMe page organized by country singer and family friend, Julia Cole, has been created to help Jacqueline’s recovery. As of Wednesday morning, it has raised $96,000 of a $2million goal.

‘She is the sweetest person I know,’ Durand said of her younger sister. ‘She is so kind. Her presence is almost calming when you first meet her, so I know she went in [to the Bishops’ home] with love and caring, so that’s hard.’

By the age of 11, the college student, who runs her own dog-sitting business, had convinced her parents to adopt the family’s first dog, Aspen, a golden retriever. Shortly afterwards, they adopted their second golden retriever, Abby.

‘She’s loved dogs since she could talk,’ Durand said of her sister’s fondness for man’s best friend. ‘She asks about her dogs all the time, and wants to make sure they’re eating. She was their person, so the dogs are actually struggling not seeing her as well, which is crazy. And she’s excited to be with them again.’

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