CurtHarlow.com

We had quite the weekend. Emma was attacked by an Akita while we attended our Chi Alpha state leaders Conference. She now has 23 staples in the back of her head. Kelly put this on her facebook today and I thought instead of rewriting I’d just pass on her account here. She writes…

Emma Recovering From the Akita Attack

ok, we’re home from san diego. emma is doing great. for everyone who doesn’t know…thursday night about 10 pm emma was walking back to our hotel with maddy, ana and victoria treuil when they came upon a man walking his dog. they asked him what kind of dog is that? Akita, he said. and before they could do any thing else the dog lunged for emma. thankfully she ducked her head down and covered her face and the dog’s jaws landed on the back of her head. the man could not pull the dog off and ana tried with all her might to pull emma away.

soon we heard screaming down the beach, “emma’s been bitten!” over and over. everyone began to run… many campus pastors. thankfully a couple of campus pastors wouldn’t let the man go… he was trying to leave the scene.

when i got there curt was “talking” to the dog owner. emma was huddled in a stairwell with victoria treuil. her neck and shoulders and hair were drenched in blood.

it was far beyond what i expected… i held her and people were offering rides to the hospital and 911 was called and and emt came out from the hotel and someone shoved a phone in my ear and it was animal control. they wanted me to know the dog was registered and had it’s rabies shots. then the next thing i know… an ambulance appears…

they come out and talk to emma…. she is shivering …and we get inside. they radio children’s hospital that they have a dog bite coming in. at this point everyone is thinking it is probably a puncture wound of some kind. no one lifts up emma’s blood soaked hair.

emma was being so brave… just holding on to my hand the whole way there.

once inside. we do the emergency waiting game. the triage nurse brings us in and takes a little look.surprise! there is a 3 to 5 inch gash to her skull in the back of her head.

a flood of anger rushes over me and curt worse than we were already swimming in… i can’t believe it. the triage nurse gauses the wound and sends us back out to the waiting room. to wait for the next doctor.

at about 1 am we go in to see the doctor. emma is falling asleep. the doctor lifts the hair and can’t believe it.she says she has to wash it off and that it will need staples. as she is doing that she finds another 3 inch gash to the skull. we are in such an utter state of disbelief and anger and shock.

the dr. leaves to go and talk to someone about what to do…

we wait.

emma is in blood soaked clothes and now soaked from the saline washing.

dr. comes back with extra stapling stuff. and begins to numb emma’s head… omg. finally she begins the stapling. 8 staples on one wound and 15 on the other.

we get home about 3:30 am… and put emma to bed. the next morning i bath her with out getting her head wet. the water is red.

what does emma say? “that stupid dog, why did it have to bite me?”

thank you for your prayers. emma kept saying over and over… “God is with me.” (thank you, victoria for telling her that.)

emma is doing well. not much pain and on antiboitics. we were all interviewed by “animal cops” and she was much photographed.

we have pics that we wont post but if you want to see tell me and i will email them to you.

oh yeah…the man said his dog just scratched her with her paw…yeah right.