Jennifer Emery has spent the past two weeks in the Townsville Hospital recovering from the horrendous injuries she suffered in the terrifying attack on September 15.
The Forrest Beach State School student was finally allowed home at the weekend and now faces a gruelling routine of medication, wound dressings and twice-daily trips to hospital until her injuries have healed.
On the day of the attack, Jennifer had returned to a friend's house after a trip to the beach when she was set upon by the friend's family dog, believed to be a bull mastiff - cross.
Two passers-by, Terry McPherson and Dave Radcliffe, heard the girls' screams and rushed to Jennifer's aid, with Mr Radcliffe beating the animal away while Ms McPherson pulled Jennifer to safety.
Jennifer was rushed to the Ingham Hospital with severe neck, back and arm injuries before being airlifted to Townsville.
Mother Chantell Emery said the bite to Jennifer's neck was so deep, a piece of her spine was chipped and an artery was severed, causing a blood clot to form at the base of her skull.
"The first few days just seemed to be like one blow after another, after another," Mrs Emery said.
"On the Friday (after the incident), she just looked terrible and wasn't opening her eyes and wasn't trying to talk.
"They rushed her down for another MRI in the hope that she hadn't had a stroke."
After two surgeries and multiple scans, Jennifer returned home on Saturday but is still required to undergo daily rounds of antibiotics and blood-thinning medication as well as trips to the Ingham Hospital every morning and night. Mrs Emery said the family were taking her recovery one day at a time.
"She won't be able to go back to school at least until she's off the antibiotics (at the end of October)," she said.
"She's still extremely shaken up but she's sleeping well, which is a bonus."
One of Jennifer's rescuers, Ms McPherson, is among community members behind an appeal to help the Emery family shoulder the cost of Jennifer's ongoing medical care and trips from Forrest Beach to Ingham.
Mrs Emery said she was amazed at the kindness of those who had put their hands up to help.
"In all honesty, if (Terry and Dave) weren't there, it would be a completely different conversation," she said.
"I don't have the words to thank them (and the community) enough for everything they're doing.
"Everyone has been amazing ... even at her school, all the kids made her cards and the guidance counsellor brought all the cards down to her.
"I couldn't imagine that this town is so close. You don't realise how good your community is, unfortunately, until a tragedy happens."
(Townsville Bulletin - Oct 2, 2012)
