A 2-year-old Tucker girl who was attacked by two dogs more than three weeks ago remains hospitalized with serious injuries, and her family is seeking the public’s help to pay her medical bills.
Jolie Reach has undergone numerous surgeries at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, where she was airlifted on Aug. 31 after two mixed Labradors owned by a neighbor left her with bite wounds and scratches all over her body.
Jolie’s father, Jeremy Reach, was with the child in their own yard when the attack happened. He told 11 Alive that he was caught off guard when the dogs appeared while he was looking the other way.
“She was going out, and it looked like the weather was getting a little cooler. So I grabbed a jacket, and by the time I turned around, I heard her yell,” Reach said, according to the station. “One of the dogs had caught her from behind. And just grabbed her and started shaking her a little bit.”
His wife, Aiqi, and 5-year-old son Jasper had left the house only moments before the incident, according to 11 Alive.
“It was just me and her, which I’m glad because with a 5-year-old if he’d been out, it could have happened to a second child,” he told the station. “[Jolie] was unresponsive. She moved her eyelid, blinking, and she was moving her mouth but really couldn’t say anything.”
The father described his neighbor as “remorseful” for what happened, and there was no indication from authorities that any charges would be filed.
“He’s a pretty decent guy. The dogs were just out of control,” Reach said, according to the station. “I was just scared. I totally thought the worst. And it just put me straight into shock. I was just kind of going through the motions.”
Jolie’s condition has improved but she’s still in pain and fighting infections in her wounds, the family says. She also faces two more weeks in the hospital and an even longer road to recovery, including physical therapy and possibly more surgeries.
The family has launched a GoFundMe page that has raised more than $32,000 so far that will be used toward “medical and related expenses not covered by insurance,” according to a statement on the site.
“Please help us get her home and get her back to as normal of a life as we can provide,” the family says in the statement.
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