Woman speaks out 1 year after being attacked by dog at Washington Co. animal rescue

A local mother took her daughters to an animal shelter to volunteer.  But the bonding experience nearly cost her her life.

For the first time since that day, Kylie Welch is sharing her story.

"Stay awake, stay awake. Don't die."

PHOTOS: Woman speaks out a year after being attacked by dog at animal rescue

Those were some of the last words Welch remembered from that day at Angel Ridge Animal Rescue in April of 2017. That's where a dog labeled "friendly and playful" left her with permanent scars on her arms.

"Dallas was the only one there who was young, who was posted to a bin labeled "friendly and playful" and supposed to be easy to walk," Welch told Channel 11's Cara Sapida.

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She and her 4-year-old daughter took Dallas out for a walk and some play time. Then, Kylie says the dog just stopped, and looked right at her daughter.

"He did this goofy hop run toward her, he jumped and put his paws on her shoulders and she fell," she said.  "He spun himself around so his body was behind her head and I saw his mouth open over her head."

Welch reacted quickly. She pushed the dog off her daughter, but says he turned on her and bit down on her arm. All she could see was her daughter.

RELATED: Man helps save woman, girl from dog attack at Washington County animal rescue

"She had blood coming down her face because he got a tooth in her forehead," Welch said.  "The look on her face was the worst imaginable terror I've ever seen on anyone's face in my life."

Welch says she screamed for her daughter to run. A neighbor spoke to Channel 11 that day. He said he heard the screams and ran to help.  He started hitting the dog, until it finally let go of Welch's arm. By that time, she was badly injured and had to be airlifted to a hospital.

She has had several surgeries on her arms, hands and fingers. Welch told Cara Sapida she is still haunted by what her daughter told her about her memories of those moments.

"She thought when I was screaming, he was eating me. And when I stopped, (she thought) I had died," Welch said.

Her lawyer is filing a lawsuit against Angel Ridge Animal Rescue.

He says the dog had only arrived at the facility two days before the attack. He says the dog should never have been labeled "friendly and playful."

Cox Media Group