Andinaye "Andi" Godinez winces with pain and clutches a wolf stuffed animal as her mom cleans her left leg covered with puncture wounds.
The 10-year-old loves animals and wanted to be a veterinarian. Now she's not sure.
A pit bull attack on July 15 at her home near Roosevelt High School in southeast Fresno left her afraid of even her own pets.
A GoFundMe account was made to help Andi's family care for her.
Doctors performed surgery to address a large chunk of flesh missing below her left knee, along with stitching up numerous deep wounds across her left shin and calf.
Her mother, Valerie Morales, said doctors can't yet completely seal the wounds, in case they become infected from the dog bite. It's expected to be a long recovery _ with painful cleanings of her wounds several times a day, and physical therapy to help her left foot return to a normal position. It's now pointed.
Andi's skin is dying and her family is unsure if she will need skin grafts in the future, and if their medical insurance will cover that.
"She's in a lot of pain," Morales said. "She cries all night."
ONGOING TERROR
There's also fear: The dog that attacked Andi remains in her backyard.
The girl's family wants the dog removed. They were watching the pit bull for a family friend when the attack happened. The friend no longer wants the dog.
Morales said the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals told the family they couldn't remove the dog _ that the dog had to be quarantined in a fenced location in their backyard for 10 days during an investigation before the animal could be euthanized.
Walter Salvari, a spokesperson for Central California SPCA, instead said the dog can be euthanized at any time since it bit a person, but that the family would have to bring the dog to their facility, or pay a service fee for a pickup.
Otherwise, he said, the SPCA does not take pets that bite a person unless the bite is considered severe. Salvari said a police officer who responded to the dog attack described the girl's injury as moderate.
THE ATTACK
Tears filled Andi's eyes several times as her mom described the attack.
The girl's body is covered with scratches and bruises from being drug around her backyard. She broke fingernails and toenails trying to claw her way to safety. At one point during the mauling, Andi frantically banged on her backdoor, calling for help.
Andi was saved by a neighbor and her father, who heard her screaming and rushed to her aid, along with her family's pit bull, Lola, who fought the pit bull that attacked Andi.
Morales is now especially scared for her 5-year-old son who has severe autism since the dog that attacked Andi remains in their backyard.
"I'm traumatized now," she said.
Morales said her daughter didn't do anything to provoke the attack. Andi went outside to visit with another dog, Panda, an Australian shepherd and Husky mix that she rescued, when the pit bull started sniffing her, then attacked.
Despite the trauma, the 10-year-old said: "I'm glad it was me and not the babies."
HELP NEEDED
Morales hopes to use money raised by the GoFundMe account to buy Andi a bed and medical supplies to clean her wounds.
Since the attack, Andi has been sleeping on a couch in her family's three-bedroom home that she shares with four siblings and her parents, who are unemployed and looking for work.
Morales has been a stay-at-home mom largely to care for her son with autism. Recently, Andi's father went to a recycling center with a bag of cans to try to bring home some money.
Beyond medical needs, the family said they could also use items such as shorts and board games for Andi.
"Right now," Morales said, "we don't even have a dollar to our name."
