Hairdresser scarred for life after her nose was ripped off in a horror dog attack

Ashley Unger had been snuggling and playing with the pit bull at a client’s house before he brutally abused her as she tried to walk and her nose was “literally hanging down”.

A hairstylist was scarred for life and left with PTSD after her nose was WRITED OFF in a horror attack by a client’s dog.

Ashley Unger, 31, had been cuddling the pit bull at a client’s house – before he brutally attacked her as she tried to leave.

On March 17, the hairdresser had petted and played with a customer’s roommate’s mutt – before the dog suddenly mauled her.

The disgraced stylist was taken to hospital while holding her face together, exposing the bone where doctors sewed her flesh together.

Graphic photos show Ashley’s bloodied face, severed septum and blown out cartilage after her nose was “literally hung off”.

Her horrified boyfriend James Stack, 30, burst into tears at the sight of her.

Paramedics sewed her face up, but now her sister, Melissa Schmidt, has started one GoFundMe Page to raise $20,000 (£15,860) for reconstructive surgery.

Ashley from Plainfield, Illinois, USA said: “It was the first time I met the dog, I’m a dog person so I played with him.

“I was there for about five hours that day. He was on my chest and I cuddled him for an hour before he attacked me.

“I’m very thankful he didn’t bite me when I was laying down because it would be a lot worse.

“Just as I was about to go through the front door, the dog ran out of the kitchen, so I ducked to keep him from going outside.

“I didn’t touch him, he was about a foot away from me, I heard the nastiest growl of my life.

“The next thing I know, my nose is hanging down and I’ve been holding my face together. It was the worst pain I’ve ever had.

“I screamed, the client said she would never get that scream out of her head.

“I was screaming like my life depended on it, he got off me and the next thing I know he’s in the corner across the room.

“The customer told me not to look, but of course I did, all I saw were bones.

“I was so shocked. I have PTSD, sometimes I get flashbacks.

“I’m so uncomfortable, you don’t think this could happen to you.”

Ashley was left with a severed septum and cartilage and is now unable to breathe through her nose.

A paramedic in the emergency room described the attack as one of the worst dog bite cases he has ever seen.

Doctors have said Ashley will need multiple reconstructive surgeries and will have scars for life.

Ashley said: “I’ll be marked for life. The doctor at the hospital said I was confused, he said it was one of the worst dog bite cases he’d seen and he works in the ER so he saw quite a bit.

“A specialist told him on the phone to make sure my skin is covered so there are no infections.

“I had 36 stitches above my nose, five above my eye and two above my upper lip.

“My septum was severed and cartilage burst out.

“I have good days and bad days but I look in the mirror and I don’t like what I see, I miss my face.

“I can only breathe through my mouth and at worst the surgery won’t improve anything. It took some practice, I learned a lot of patience through this process.

“My family and James cried when they saw me.

“I FaceTimed my mom. I was so upset what hurt her, she knew how much pain I was in.

“She wanted to take it away from me, but I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Nobody knew what to do.”

The traumatic incident left Ashley fearful of dogs and now she’s just happy to be with her own dog, five-year-old bullmastiff Lucy.

Ashley said: “If I don’t know a dog I can’t be around them and worry about going into customers’ homes.

“By my personal experience [I would advise] Don’t crouch or level with a dog you don’t know, even if it seems friendly.

“Even if you’re comfortable around the dog, they can still be unpredictable. Always be vigilant.”