5-year-old girl mauled by dogs fights to recover after surgeries, transfusion

(WJBK) - A little girl undergoes multiple surgeries to repair the damage done in a horrific dog attack in Detroit.

It has been touch and go since a defenseless 5 -year-old was attacked by a pack of dogs.

"God will need to come down and he needs to do a miracle right now - that's all I was thinking about when we saw her," said her mom, Latoya Benson.

Benson spoke to FOX 2 by phone from her daughter's hospital bedside. She has been there since last week after her 5-year-old daughter Johnay was viciously attacked by several dogs - including one that was part-wolf.

Her mother was at work at the time, Johnay was with her father who was visiting a friend in Detroit.

"I am angry because I wasn't there," Benson said. "At the same time, I am thankful that my baby is here."

Johnay has undergone five surgeries and a blood transfusion to repair the injuries to her intestines, head and the deep hole in her back.

Johnay is still in critical condition, but occasionally she will utter a few words.

"She wants to go home," Benson said. "She says 'I want to go home, I want to go to school.' She is heavily sedated so she doesn't feel the pain."

But today Johnay was awake long enough to see someone special - Eric Tyus.  He drove her and her dad to the hospital after he saw they had crashed and were in desperate need of help.

"He is wonderful," Benson said. "He came up here today, sat with her and talked to her. She didn't know who he was but in order for me to tell her who he is, I will have to tell her what happened. She is not ready for that right now. She has been having nightmares."

Mom is staying positive, but knows Johnay will have a long road to recovery - spending the next seven weeks in the hospital.

The family has set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for expenses. Latoya, a single mother, will have to quit her job at Kroger to provide her daughter around the clock care - which will include physical therapy and eventually plastic surgery.

As for the dogs and the owner - who had been cited before for his aggressive animals - police are still working to track down all the dogs involved.

Latoya isn't spending time dwelling on who is responsible, she just want to make sure her daughter will be able to make a full recovery.

"I put all my energy, all my focus on her," Benson said. "When it is done and over with, when I know she is going to be okay, then we can talk about what's going to happen."

To make a donation to the GoFundMe account CLICK HERE.

If you can't afford to donate - she said they will also need any donations of food or clothing to get through the next several months. You may use the GoFundMe link to communicate with the family.