I haven’t been able to download my photos from my camera to my computer for a while now so I’ve been making trips to those wonderful Kodak machines in the department stores. I told my kid’s friend that when I finally got in to the store to do the camera thing – I’d blog about her big summer news…

Cora is in the same grade as my oldest and is the school bus seat partner of my daughter Em who is entering grade 1 in September. She is also a close neighbour and the kids have had fun with her so far this summer. Remember my post about the days of catching frogs…

(This is what I remember of the story)

Cora went away with her mom on holidays just after Canada Day to a friend’s house in the US. The day before they flew home, Cora got bit by a dog. It was the friend’s 3 year old German Shepherd. It was a friendly dog that had not shown any reason as to why this would happen! They were outside playing when the girls (7 and 8) noticed the dog bounding across the property – out of his kennel. Cora turned to tell her mom the dog was out and to go inside the house when the dog leaped up over the railing and onto the deck and lunged at Cora’s head. Tannis says things from then on were such a blur. Her friend pulled the dog off of Cora and her mom scooped her up and drove her to the closest hospital. Blood everywhere. Tannis didn’t know where she had been bitten, blood covered Cora’s entire face and head.

Cora was lucky. She received 21 stitches to her scalp, all of which are behind her hairline. The dog’s teeth went all the way down to the bone. It could have been so much worse, the doctor said nerves could have been severed. The next day they flew home. Cora spent the first week home inside the house, Tannis spent it on the couch – awake for the first few nights. Everytime she closed her eyes, she saw the dog’s face as he bite down into her daughter. The doctor’s were going to give Tannis a seditive but she is just starting her 2nd trimester – for which this kind of stress is not good.

This is now a couple of weeks later and Cora can now wash her hair. Soon the staples will need to be taken out. The dog was put to sleep while Cora was in surgery. Tannis is doing great and so is the baby and things are starting to get back to normal. Cora’s back to playing outside and even though she’s a little jumpy when she sees a dog, she is doing very well.

I pray Psalm 91 over her now as I do my own children each night. It is so important that they know we have a big protector who has sent His angels to watch over them (& us) each and every day, no matter where we are ~ I know… when I was 10 I saw mine!!