JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A Jacksonville woman who has spent the last eight years devoting her life to training dogs became a bite victim when man's best friend turned on her and attacked.

Six months after the attack that required her to undergo reconstructive surgery, she wants others to know how to prevent dog bites.

Most people think of their four-legged friends as friendly companions, but every year, dogs bite nearly 5 million people and hundreds of thousands of those bite victims require medical attention.

Amber Treat-Hoosier said last November her friend’s dog gave her a bad bite on the nose that required surgery.

“Out of the blue, I turned around and turned back and the dog reached out and grabbed a part of my nose,” Treat-Hoosier said.

In a matter of moments, part of her nose was bitten off by the pet Boston terrier.

Repairing Treat-Hoosier’s nose was a major undertaking on the behalf of Dr. Bill Mitchell, of RENUE plastic surgery in Brunswick, Ga.

“We decided the best way to do this was to use a part of the ear for the cartilage and to do a stage procedure using the forehead to reconstruct the soft tissue defect of the nose,” Mitchell said.

Skin from Treat-Hoosier’s forehead was used to reconstruct the bridge of her nose. Mitchell said that part of the surgery was key to get blood flowing back into the part of Treat-Hoosier’s nose that was bitten off.

Treat-Hoosier said that was especially difficult, but she had faith in the process.

As part of National Dog-Bite Safety Week, Treat-Hoosier said her mission has been to prevent others from having to go through her ordeal.

This week, several groups are trying to raise awareness of the potential danger and prevent dog bites.

Treat-Hoosier is helping to spread that message.

“People will constantly walk up and pet dogs without asking. Really, you want to ask before you pet a dog,” Treat-Hoosier said.

As a professional dog trainer, she said a dog bite could happen to anyone, so whether it's a big dog or a small dog, before petting an animal, make sure to check with the owner before reaching out to the animal.