Girl saves 6-year-old sister from dog attack

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - A 6-year-old girl from Bay is back in school after being severely injured during a dog attack, and her sister is being praised after stepping in and fighting back.

Maddie Schisler, 6, and her big sister, Kylee Schisler, 9, were at their father’s Jonesboro home on Jan. 20 when their father’s pitbull attacked Maddie in the side yard while the sisters were outside playing.

“The dog started sniffing and nipping her coat. Then we started running then the dog just grabbed her arm and slammed her on the ground and started biting her neck," says Kylee.

The 6-year-old says she went numb while the dog was gnawing on her.

“I don’t know how he got my neck and my arm, I didn’t feel anything," Maddie says, pointing to her neck brace.

The siblings said this isn’t the first encounter they’ve had with the pet, which was staying with their father.

With everything happening so fast, Kylee said she had to think quickly to help her little sister.

“I grabbed a stick really thick, and beat the dog in the back of the head, but it didn’t get off of Maddie, so I was yelling for Daddy," Kylee said.

Once their father came out realizing what was happening, the girls said he and his roommate pulled the dog off of Kylee and began adding pressure to the wounds that were bleeding from the attack.

Kylee then called 911 for help and moments later their father called their mother to let her know what happened.

“I really didn’t know if she was going to be okay or not and that was really really scary," says the girls’ mother, Amber Duvall.

The 6-year-old was eventually airlifted to LeBonhuer Children’s Hospital in Memphis, according to a family friend, with several injuries including a broken rib and vertebrae, nerve and muscle damages, and a blood clot.

“I tried not to cry cause if I cried, that would make her upset and I tried not to make her upset cause I couldn’t handle it," Kylee said as she would watch her sister in the hospital bed being treated by staff.

Maddie returned back to school last week after being out for a few days, and now she’s sitting at a special desk and chair made to make her comfortable. However, she’s having trouble writing with her non-dominant hand, which is caused by the nerve and muscle damage during the attack.

Duvall says her daughter will now start occupational therapy and may possibly start physical therapy down the road.

Kylee expressed how thankful she was to God for keeping her sister here on earth and how much worse it could have been.

“God was there at the right time and the right place, so I’m thankful for that," the 9-year-old said.

“Even though me and Kylee fight a lot, we still love each other," says Maddie, with a smile on her face.

Duvall said the dog was put down and warns parents to be watchful and vigilant of your children because anything can happen in a split second.

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