A British grandmother was mauled to death by her family’s dog while sunbathing in her backyard on Friday, making her the fifth person to die from dog attacks in the UK so far in 2023.
The 70-year-old victim, whose identity has not been released, died after the canine pounced on her outside her home in Bedworth, Warwickshire.
The 49-year-old daughter desperately tried to fight off the dog after the sudden attack, but was bitten and was unable to save her, the Daily Mail reported.
After the 70-year-old grandmother’s death, her daughter was treated at the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, but both she and her 52-year-old husband were arrested for allegedly having a banned breed of dog. .
So far, it was not clear what breed of dog attacked the woman. However, breeds such as the American Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Argentine Dogo and Brazilian Fila are banned in the UK.
A neighbor told the Daily Mail that the pet appeared to be a bulldog-mastiff, noting the large size of the dog.
“The police say it was a banned breed, but I’m not sure,” the neighbor said. “I don’t know what he was, quite large in size, with a big head, bulldog-mastiff type,” said the neighbor, who asked not to be named. “When (the dog’s owner) said he had it, he said it was a rare breed and there were only six in the country.”
The witness, who lives next to the street where the tragic episode occurred, noted that the family had the dog in the backyard and never saw it show any signs of aggression.
“Nobody knows why he attacked and killed the poor woman, he could have gone crazy after being stung by a bee or he could have had something wrong with his brain,” he said. “It could be anything.”
Warwickshire Police Superintendent Suntherland Lane said the investigation is still ongoing, and asked anyone with information about the incident to come forward to authorities.
“Fortunately, dog attacks of this nature are extremely rare, but I recognize this will be very upsetting to the local community,” Lane said.
With information from Daily Mail / New York Post