17-Year-Old Girl Attacked by 10 Dogs, Gets 500 Stitches, Asks: “Mom, Am I Still Pretty?”

Key Points:

A 17-year-old girl was attacked by a pack of dogs in the early hours of July 17, 2025, near her home in Newberry Springs, California. Tracy Hurtado was jogging near her house when around 10 large-breed dogs bit her, according to an alert from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department (SBCSD).

The teenager was left completely unrecognizable and asked her mother a heart-wrenching question: whether she still looked pretty.

Tracy required around 500 stitches following the attack. Neighbours, who heard her crying and screaming, immediately alerted the authorities.

The mauling left the young girl with severe lacerations and abrasions, as the dogs tore her flesh apart. Her mother, Maria Azpeitia, said she was unable to recognize her own daughter when she first arrived on the scene. At first, she thought Tracy’s arms had been ripped off.

“I thought she was gonna be fine, because she walked to her bus stop. I never would have thought that anything would happen to her,” Maria said.

See Also: Deaf-Mute Woman Allegedly Gang-Raped in Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur, Near Top Government Officials’ Home; 2 Arrested

Maria recalled that her daughter was so disfigured and covered in dirt that she could only identify her by her bra. “I recognized her bra. That’s what I recognized,” she said.

According to the SBCSD, the dogs caused “large lacerations, abrasions, and removed flesh.” Recalling the moment she reached her daughter, Maria said Tracy looked at her and asked: “Mom, am I still pretty?” To which Maria responded, “Yes, of course, you’re beautiful.”

Tracy’s stepfather, Carlos Ramirez, said she received nearly 500 stitches and had been bitten across almost every part of her body except her ankles.

On August 13, 2025, authorities arrested 61-year-old Craig Arthur Simmons, alleged to be the owner of the dogs. He was charged under Penal Code 399(b) — “owner of an animal causing serious bodily injury or death.” According to the sheriff department, the canines owned by Simmons neither had any leash on them nor were they fenced.

The 17-year-old girl who was attacked by 10 dogs was preparing for her senior year in high school when the incident occurred. In a GoFundMe page which is established to collect funds for the dog bite victim Tracy Hurtado. A total of $37,084 has been raised so far with a goal of $40k. The fundraising has been organised by Joan Snedeker. [Rh/VS]

Also Read: