In the quiet suburb of Coppell, Texas, 22-year-old Jacqueline Claire Durand, a University of Texas at Dallas student and dog lover, went to a client’s home on December 23, 2021—the day before her birthday and two days before Christmas—to walk two dogs she had met a few days earlier. To finance her studies, Jacqueline worked as a dog walker and sitter. After a calm meeting during which the couple assured her that the dogs—Lucy (a German Shepherd mix) and Bender (a Pit Bull mix)—would be kept in their crates, she trusted the owners, Ashley Jo Bishop and Dr. Justin Avery Bishop.
But when Jacqueline opened the front door, the animals, free and aggressive, leaped at her and instantly knocked her to the ground with a violent bite. For 37 interminable minutes, the dogs relentlessly attacked her, tearing off both her ears, her nose, her lips, and much of her face below her eyes, inflicting more than 800 bites all over her body. They ripped her clothes, including her jeans, leaving her nearly naked and in agony, while rescuers hesitated outside, unable to safely enter the house.
Jacqueline’s father, John Durand, arrived to find police trying to subdue the “bloodthirsty” animals that had dragged her throughout the house. He later told CBS News that paramedics finally managed to pull her out, “her face in shreds,” after she had lost nearly 30% of her blood. Rushed to Medical City Plano Hospital, she underwent immediate surgery, but the damage was devastating: permanent disfigurement, fractured facial bones, a detached retina, and scars that would change her life forever.
The dogs were so violent that they tore off and devoured both of Jacqueline’s ears, nose, lips and much of her face, right in front of her eyes,” according to the complaint filed by the family in Dallas County Court on January 25, 2022, accusing the Bishops of negligence and owner responsibility.
Warning signs were clearly posted on the Bishops’ front door: Rabid Dogs. Please do not knock or ring. Call or text. A text message from Ashley admitted she had forgotten to lock the door.
Despite this, the Bishops defended their dogs and were never prosecuted.
Jacqueline’s recovery was long and painful: numerous operations, months of hospitalization and rehabilitation. In March 2022, she showed her reconstructed face during an interview with CBS Mornings, declaring firmly, “It’s time to show who I am now.”
Today, in September 2025, at 26 years old, Jacqueline continues her recovery through therapy and activism. Her story, which went viral on Reddit and TikTok, sparked a debate about pet owner responsibility and dog walker safety in Texas.
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