Child Seriously Injured in Dog Attack While Waiting Outside Home
A 9-year-old girl from Hanceville, Alabama, is recovering after a dog attacked her outside her apartment on Nov. 7, leaving her with severe facial injuries that required airlifting to a children's hospital.
According to local reports and family accounts, Delyla McCay and her 13-year-old sister, McKenzie, were sitting on the apartment steps waiting for their father when a blue heeler allegedly lunged and clamped onto Delyla's face. The dog had been walked by a child who, witnesses said, became frightened and dropped the leash. A teenager tried to free the girl from the dog, but the animal reportedly attacked Delyla a second time.
“McKenzie said afterwards, everybody was just screaming. Delyla actually wasn’t screaming. She was in shock,” said Delyla’s mother, Katie McCay.
Photos shared on a GoFundMe set up by Katie show Delyla with bruising, swelling and multiple stitches around her nose, mouth, cheeks and upper lip. Her mother says Delyla will need plastic surgery and rabies vaccinations because of the nature of the wounds. Katie also described practical challenges during recovery—her top lip is partially detached, so the family has obtained a special shower head and a water flosser to help rinse Delyla’s mouth safely.
Katie wrote that co-pays alone totaled about $300 over the weekend and that additional costs—airlift transport, specialist appointments and further emergency-room visits for rabies shots—are expected. The family's GoFundMe has raised roughly $8,600 to help cover medical and recovery expenses.
The incident has been reported to Cullman County Animal Control. Local news outlets reported the details, and PEOPLE contacted Cullman County Animal Control and the Cullman County Police Department for comment.
Note: Some details are based on family accounts and local reporting. Authorities are investigating the incident.
