The Daily Item, Sunbury, PA - Amanda Smith recovers at home following dog attack

Sat, Nov 21 2009

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Amanda Smith, 9, Kulpmont, takes a quick break from playing after returning home from being hospitalized because of being attacked by a bullmastiff.
Robert Inglis / The Daily Item

Nine-year-old Amanda Smith, left, of Kulpmont, sits at home Thursday with her friend, Jessica Milewski, 11 days after being critically injured by a bullmastiff. "I don?t like big dogs anymore," Amanda says. "They scare me. I like small dogs." The third-grader must have additional surgeries and will be home-schooled through June.
Robert Inglis / The Daily Item

Amanda Smith, 9, left, Kulpmont, sits in her favorite chair as she listens to her friends and family talk about her being attacked by a dog.
Robert Inglis / The Daily Item

Amanda Smith, 9, left, plays in her favorite chair with friend Jessica Milewski, 11 days after being critically injured by a bullmastiff.
Robert Inglis / The Daily Item

Here is a photo of Amanda before the dog attack.
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Amanda Smith recovers at home following dog attack

9-year-old must have additional surgeries

By Rick Dandes
The Daily Item

"They have done an amazing job on her face," Jennifer Smith said. "You should have seen her right after the accident. Her face was all bloodied. It was terrible."

The Amanda of old is now returning, now that she is home.

She has always been a happy, upbeat child, her mother said.

"Very friendly," Jennifer Smith said. "Everybody loves her."

Amanda and her family had just moved to Kulpmont from Lewisburg when the dog attack occurred.

A former student at Kelly Elementary School in Lewisburg, Amanda attended Mount Carmel Elementary for only two days before the attack. Even so, she had already made friends.

One of those friends, a 9-year old from Coal Township, had an aunt, Maryjoy Ruffner, who lived across the street from Amanda.

Ruffner owned a bullmastiff named Bandit.

On April 19, Amanda and her new friend walked the bullmastiff. When another dog charged Bandit, the girls tried to prevent a fight, and Bandit turned on the girls.

Pam Pellowski, of Kulpmont, was driving along Chestnut Street when she saw the attack.

"I started beeping my car horn." Pellowski said Thursday while sitting with Amanda in her family's living room. "I screamed, Help! Help!' But that dog would not get off her. Then, covered with blood, she ran across the street and I thought, Who is she and where is she going?' She was holding her face.

"The thing is, she never screamed. Not once."

Soon after, Amanda was flown by helicopter to Geisinger.

True to her nature, it wasn't long before Amanda made friends in the hospital.

"One day I showed a (student) nurse how to help me with my medicine," Amanda said.

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