Dog Lover Is Mauled To Death By His Pets
8:UK, Wednesday February 03, 2010
Damien Pearse, Sky News Online
A doctor who won a four-year legal battle to save his three dogs from being put down for attacking humans has been mauled to death by the animals.
The victim was savaged by his three dogs while out in his garden
The 52-year-old victim was attacked in his garden in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and died before police arrived.
Officers shot one of the bullmastiffs dead and the other two were put down.
It has emerged that the pets had seriously injured a passer-by outside the owner's house four years ago.
They spent years in "custody" pending legal hearings, but when one of them attacked a dog handler, authorities ordered them to be put down.
A bullmastiff dog
But at the eleventh hour, in June last year, the doctor succeeded in overturning the order and got his dogs back, sparking national controversy.
But now police have revealed that the dogs have turned on the owner and killed him.
"Three dogs bit their 52-year-old owner to death in Ljubljana yesterday," police spokeswoman Maja Adlesic said.
News of the owner's death prompted an opposition party call for the resignation of the agriculture minister for failing to stop the dogs being released.
Police gave no more details and have so far refused to identify the victim, in line with country's privacy laws.
