One week ago, firefighting couple Dawn and Bob Brown took in a mastiff after a family member decided they could not handle the dog anymore. This week, Bob came home from work and found his wife dead after she had suffered bites to the neck from the dog. The family members who had previously owned the dog never had any previous aggression problems with the dog, just that they could not handle the size of it anymore. The couple also have a pit bull and a boxer mix. All three dogs are currently under the care of animal control.
Sounds like she might have gotten involved in the middle of a dog fight. Not a wise decision. Made that mistake a couple times myself and thankfully I came out of it with only a few scars.
ReplyDeleteMastiffs freak me out. A friend has one and it has had aggression problems (if it has one more incident it will be put to sleep, but it hasn't had a problem in years). I'm 5'9", so to have that thing walk by me and for it to reach my ribcage on all fours kind of stresses me out.
ReplyDeleteThat is horrifying! The thought of them being so generous and then the husband coming home to see that. So, so terrible.
ReplyDeleteI agree with FSP. My dog plays great with other dogs unless it's in our house. Then he becomes completely territorial and goes after any dog that goes near "his" couch, "his" chair, "his" water bowl, etc.
ReplyDeleteScary.
ReplyDeleteThis is just awful..
ReplyDeleteRIP Dawn. She was doing a noble thing by giving that dog a home. Terrible that it had to end up this way.
ReplyDeletewow I had never realized Mastiffs are so big..
ReplyDeletewhat a terrible story.. Poor husband and poor relatives.. can you imagine how guilty they must feel, even if they never had an aggression problem before.
I couldn't imagine coming home and finding a dead spouse. Poor couple.
ReplyDeleteThis is so sad. RIP Dawn. Prayers for her and her family.
ReplyDeleteJeez, so sad.
ReplyDeleteI agree - got in the middle of a dog fight, NEVER get in the middle of one get a spray bottle. Ugh.
Sad :( Mastiffs (at least the English Mastiffs) are supposed to be really chill, too.
ReplyDeleteMastiffs are generally docile by nature..
ReplyDeleteI agree with the post above she may have been trying to break up a fight. Tragic regardless.
Oh! Not a nice way to end a long day, but I appreciate the story so I may count my blessings and we can all send healing energy to those mourning. Enty has the best community for such a story-no stupid jokes and bs.
ReplyDeletehow do they know it was the mastiff?
ReplyDeletePoor woman, that's awful. All the mastiffs I know are very sweet, low-energy dogs.
ReplyDeleteMy husband's buddy raises mastiffs, they use empty gallon Gatorade bottles as chew toys they're so big! I've been around them for years & seen more aggression from a Bichon & a Cocker Spaniel than his mastiffs.
ReplyDeleteSad. Really sad.
Agreed! Our family cockers can be down right nasty.
DeleteSounds like a fight insued. I have never met an unkind Mastiff. They are truly gentle giants. Pit bulls on thr other hand....One tried to attack my sweet Golden Retriever after the owner went on and on about how he was a rescue and was rehabilitated, blablabla. Sorry i know pits get a bad wrap but I've met a few that were vicious.
ReplyDeleteOh I definitely think it was the pit/boxer not the Mastiff who are so gentile. Both pits and boxers can have a screw lose.The bigger the dog, the more gentle.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of a mastiff doing something like that but at 5'2" I am a little afraid of big dogs so I wouldn't get one anyway.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts are with the family, so sad.
Oh Jesus, not this conversation again.
ReplyDeletePoor lady.
ReplyDeleteBut the previous couple couldn't handle the size? It's a friggin mastiff. What did they expect!?
My dog is in major surgery as we speak :(
sad for her family & how horrible for the husband. any breed can kill. Recently, there was an incident in a neighboring city where a "mastiff" killed a pom. dogs like people all have their own unique personalities, it doesn't mean a certain breed is better or worse, sometimes people aren't aware of certain personality characteristics of the breed.
ReplyDeleteI have a boxer/mastiff.....and mine is just a big, love able goofball...who at 120 lbs, thinks he is a lap dog. He does get very protective when we are outside and a stranger walks in the yard, though....
ReplyDeleteagree she probably tried to stop a dog fight. I read the two dogs they owned were their babies, no children and were an older Boxer and PitBull. I'm guessing the older dogs didn't take too kindly to a new doggie who was huge coming into their home. very sad.
ReplyDeleteGoogle mastiff san francisco attack. 'Nuff said
ReplyDeleteI had a Neapolitan Mastiff. Best dog ever- huge! Loved him. Very very sweet. I'm 5' 1" and he was my baby. Sadly he only lived for 3 years. Still miss him every day. Now I have a husky and he's cray cray. And my 12 year old elderly chuiahua showed more aggression than My mastiff. He was a great protector; anytime I felt uncomfortable he just casually stood in between me and the individual. That was enough.
ReplyDeletethose dogs in SF were NOT mastiffs. they were presa canarios. totally different thing.
ReplyDeleteTrue. My bad
DeleteI'm very sad for the family.
ReplyDeleteI had an 180 pound English Mastiff for eleven years, the most gentle dog ever.
I, like others here think she may have gotten in the middle of a fight. Mastiffs will usually only fight to protect themselves. You just don't get in the middle of a threesome like that. If the Mastiff was the newbie, the others two probably came at it. Some dogs like to take on the big dog.
A sad, sad situation all the way around.
True Nancer, presa canarios are vicious and aggressive. I agree that she must have gotten in between a fight, or maybe that one dog is just really aggressive, whatever the case, her throat was mauled enough that she was killed by it. That speaks to prolonged aggression on the part of the dog when it snapped. The poor husband. I cannot imagine how he must feel. To lose your wife to a rescue dog. Can't wrap my head around that.
ReplyDeleteAre we sure the family members she got the dog from are telling the truth about no aggression problems?
ReplyDeleteI'll just stick to cats.
Never heard of the canary dog!
ReplyDeleteThis story is just so tragic on all sides. I wonder if all the dogs were neutered?
A presa canario killed a mother in my area several years ago. Very tragic.
ReplyDeleteMy neighbor has a mastiff, sweetest dog I've met, my mini poodle is more aggressive everyone watches out for their ankles he's known for springing out from under the sofa. As for the dog next door he runs for the fence to say hi a wiggling 185lbs of total love and sloppy wet kisses.
ReplyDeletethis is why i asked how the hell they're so sure it was the mastiff??? i've never heard of a mean mastiff. not saying they can't be, but they are NOT known for aggression at all and are great with kids. i just don't get why he's taking all the heat when there were 2 other dogs there that can definitely be aggressive.
ReplyDeleteDo you really want to read how they probably know it was the mastiff? Because I can explain it, but it's pretty gross. Just try to imagine how they'd be able to determine which dog it was.
ReplyDeleteHow's it going, Jane? Any news?
ReplyDeleteHow creepy and sad. My sympathies b
ReplyDeleteMy guess is the are able to match the bite wounds to jaw measurements on the dogs... For those wondering how they knew it was that dog (as well at the presence of blood on the dog). Trying to keep the details small here.
ReplyDeleteAnd any breed of dog can harm no matter how "sweet" they are supposed to be
Could she not have had a stroke or heart attack, and the dog came on the scene after? Or does she have defensive wounds?
ReplyDeleteI think that'd be worse, if the dog tried to eat her after she was unable to move or already dead. :(
ReplyDeleteIt took four animal control officers to remove to dog. They determined it was the mastiff from her wounds during an autopsy. She was also a member of her local FD that responded to the call. Have some respect for her please and chalk this up to a horrible accident. She was a wonderful lady and will be missed by many.
ReplyDeletei grew up with mastiffs never had a problem with them always so sweet. the previous owners never had a problem with this mastiff and all of a sudden it attacks & kills its new owner? i just can't believe it.
ReplyDeleteI just want to stick up for the boxers! Have had them all my life and while they can be crazy, I've never had any problems with them with regards to aggression.
ReplyDeleteThe closest I've heard is that the one we had when I was born would squeeze in between my mother and a guest when she was breast feeding me and would growl at the guest. Then she'd stop feeding me, and he would stop and walk off.
Sad.
ReplyDelete@Jane I hope everything turned out well for your dog.