Rangel, the victim of a dog attack that occurred on April 30, spent 11 days in the pediatric intensive care unit at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco where she underwent blood transfusions and surgery to reattach the skin scalped from her head during the attack.
"I believe it's a miracle she is still alive," said Blanca Rangel, Johanna's mother.
It is apparent the wound to her head isn't the only injuries the little girl suffered. Her emotional injuries will be long in healing.
"The dog first went for her neck, but because she is so small, the bite reached from her face back to her shoulder. It was the second bite that took the skin off of her head," said Blanca Rangel.
On the day of the attack, at least 10 children were outside playing in the roadway and front yards of the court around 8 p.m. when the 1-year-old American bulldog escaped from its house and charged.
"The dog went after Johanna and attacked her, biting her on the face and shoulder. My neighbor across the street ran out and grabbed her, and at the same time the dog's owner ran out and tackled the dog," Rangel said.
As the neighbor was trying to get Johanna up to her house, the dog escaped its owner's grasp and went after the little girl again, this time grabbing her by the head and ripping a 6-by-6 inch piece of her scalp off her head, her mother said, cringing as she described the chaos.
"I ran out of my house when I heard the screaming and saw my baby bleeding all over the place. The dog's owner tackled the dog again and was able to get it away. I grabbed my daughter and started yelling for someone to get me towels to put on her head to try and stop the bleeding," Rangel said.
She isn't even sure who called 911, "but someone did, and just before the police and firemen arrived, I looked down and saw the piece of my daughter's scalp laying on the ground."
Although in shock over her little girl's injuries, Rangel had the sense of mind to have someone put the skin on ice in a plastic bag so it could go with her to the hospital.
"Even though everything was happening so fast and it was so scary, my 9-year-old daughter Denise was able to keep her cool and do everything I asked her to do," Rangel recalled. "There was a fireman, I don't even know who he was, but he stood right by me like a cheerleader saying 'keep it together' over and over again so I wouldn't lose it as I held Johanna trying to keep pressure on her head and stop the bleeding."
During the turmoil, Johanna stayed curled up in her mother's lap, crying, "the dog has my hair."
Johanna was taken by medical helicopter to U.C. Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, but her wounds were so severe she was transferred to the San Francisco hospital.
"The doctors don't know if the scalp reattachment was a success. There will probably be more surgeries and possible skin grafts. We go back to San Francisco later this week to have the staples removed and maybe they will know more then," said Rangel.
While in intensive care, Johanna was kept sedated, and the strong antibiotics caused her to develop an intestinal disorder.
"We really are just so happy to have her home," said Rangel.
She said the owner of the dog came right over on the day of the attack.
"He wanted to know if Johanna was OK. But he hasn't been back since then," Rangel said.
The brown and white dog, which was current on its rabies vaccination and underwent a 10-day quarantine at the Corning Animal Shelter, has been euthanized.
Corning Police Sgt. Craig Bassett said the dog owner will be cited for allowing the dog to run free, and a report was submitted to the Tehama County District Attorney's Office for review.
Tehama County District Attorney Gregg Cohen said he is reviewing the report.
"At this time, it is my understanding the dog was not predisposed to such behavior. Generally this is a civil matter in which the victim's family files a lawsuit for negligence," Cohen said. "But my office will continue to investigate the matter before we come to any conclusion."
According to the Corning Police Department, there are no records of previous complaints against the dog.
(Appeal Democrat - May 17, 2012)
