Tristan, Liz and Chloe King. Image courtesy Sherri Stocks.

Great Dane that mauled Durham mom euthanized

The Great Dane that mauled Liz King, a Whitby-based mother of two, has been euthanized, according to Liz’s sister-in-law, Sherri Stocks.

She also told Durham Post that Liz is back at home and is being cared for by her son Tristan and daughter Chloe 24|7 while she recovers from her severe injuries.

Liz was mauled by her neighbour’s dog on September 25, and had to be hospitalized with injuries to her head, face, ear, chest, arm, and foot and knee, which have left her immobile.

“The dog was surrendered by the neighbours to Animal Control immediately. It was kept for 10 days in quarantine, and then euthanized. As of today, there are no pending charges from the Durham Police,” said Sherri.

She set up a GoFundMe account for Liz, who “literally has no income right now”.

“The GoFundMe is currently at about $27,500. We initially started it for Liz at $10,000 expecting only to maybe get a few thousand from friends and family. I have never initiated a fundraising campaign of any type before. I was advised by a customer success manager at GoFundMe to keep raising the limit every time we hit the goal. I guess the story struck a chord with people, because it just skyrocketed! It received $10,000 in less than 24 hours. We have no intention of raising the goal and will just let it run its course,” explained Sherri.

“We are overwhelmed and extremely grateful at the response from the community!” she added.

She pointed out that Liz was extremely hesitant about starting this GoFundMe because she is a very private person and did not want a lot of people to know about the attack. “She was worried people would send hate to the dog owners and did not want that. It was when she finally grasped the financial ramifications of not being able to support her family, that she agreed to it.”

24|7 Family Care

Liz has been discharged from the hospital and is currently at home. Chloe, her daughter, has moved back from Guelph University to take care of her mom. She will work on defending her thesis at home while helping Liz. Tristan, Liz’s son, has been home since the attack, but will be going back and forth to teachers college in Orillia. He actually stays with my son in Orillia during the week and will come home on weekends, said Sherri.

“Liz has not been alone for one second since the attack. Someone (a friend or family member) was in her hospital room 24|7, and someone is always at the house with her now.”

Financial Health

Though OHIP covers the hospital bills, it doesn’t cover things like wheelchairs, walkers, commodes and knee braces. “As it is still early days, we don’t know exactly what Liz will require medically (physically or psychologically) in the future. The majority of the money raised will be used towards loss of income and paying the bills. We have no idea when she will be able to work again, as her job is pretty physical,” said Sherri.

She pointed out that Liz is definitely improving physically every day. “We moved her entire bedroom to the main floor of her house because she can’t go up the stairs. She is getting a little more mobile. She got a wheelchair that has leg support (her knee is in a temporary brace and cannot be bent). She has just started using a walker to get herself to the bathroom.”

Liz was back at Sunnybrook to get more of the staples and stitches out of her head. She has an appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon with regards to her knee on Friday at Sunnybrook as well. “We have encouraged her to get some psychological help as well, but I’m not sure if that has been arranged yet,” said Sherri.

Liz is an incredibly strong human. She is very well supported. The fact that she has some financial stability now is a huge relief for her and she can concentrate on healing, Sherri added.

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