A Florida woman miraculously survived a terrifying attack by a pack of dogs – but ended up contracting the coronavirus while recovering at a rehab center, according to reports.
Debbie Beaulieu was in her backyard in Spring Hill on Feb. 7 when the vicious canines attacked her and her own dogs, according to WFLA.
“I don’t even know to this day how she survived that,” the woman’s son-in-law, Falcon Dinis, told the station.
“Her skull is gone completely from here to the entire back. Her leg, it was pretty much eaten away. They had to shorten her leg two inches to make all of the blood vessel connections,” he added.
Beaulieu’s injuries were so severe that she flatlined twice amid several surgeries, Dinis said.
But her bad luck turned even worse after she was sent to a rehab center, he said.
“She ended up contracting the coronavirus, and at the moment, she fought it through,” Dinis told the news outlet. “And I don’t know how she does it.”
Beaulieu’s daughter, Christina Dinis, described the terrifying attack a few days after it happened.
“She was pretty much being tossed around like a chew toy by the four dogs,” she told WFTS. “She’s a tiny little woman so the fact that she’s alive is amazing.”
Beaulieu has since recovered from COVID-19, but remains hospitalized for the horrific injuries.
Falcon told WFLA that she’s worried about how she will pay the bills.
“And I tell her all the time, I speak to her, I tell her, ‘You don’t have nothing to worry about, Mom. I got it all,’” he said. “’Just keep fighting and the rest we’ll take care of.’”
The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office has said there were no records of complaints for aggressive behavior by the dogs in the previous year, according to WFTS.
But neighbors told the station that many people, including Beaulieu, had filed complaints with the county, saying the dogs often roamed freely and posed a threat to the community.
Three of the dogs’ owners faced civil citations because the animals were not licensed with the county, were left unrestrained and bit several people, the outlet reported.
Beaulieu’s family is urging authorities to take stronger action.
“They need to be held 100 percent responsible,” Christina told WFTS. “Jail time, do what you got to do. But this is because of their negligence. I don’t blame any breed dog, I don’t.”
She expressed her gratitude for the brave neighbors who fought off the dogs during the attack.
“They saved her life. I’m so grateful for them. The bites they took, would have been more on her, could have killed her completely,” Christina said.
Meanwhile, Falcon said Beaulieu will be released from the hospital soon.
“That day is going to be one of the happiest days of my life — besides seeing my daughters being born. I think that will be the same way,” he told WFLA.