An Italian woman was fatally mauled by her brother's Rottweiler when she stopped over to feed the pet while her sibling was out of town. According to a report from the New York Post, around 4 pm on Wednesday, 53-year-old Patrizia La Marca had stopped by her brothers home in Ventimiglia to take care of the dog, when he suddenly attacked her.
Neighbors heard the incident and called for help. When the first responders arrived the dog was so aggressive towards them they were forced to shoot the dog after a two hour standoff.
According to the report, when they found La Marca she had severe bites on her head, arms, chest and shoulder and was "torn apart in several places," according to one of the onsite emergency personnel.
She told one outlet that she had "never seen anything like it."
The Mayor Isio Cassini said in a statement, "a similar case has never occurred in the town as far as I can remember," and he is "very sorry for [La Marca] and her family."
The dog is now under judicial control and there has been no determination if the dog will be put down or not.
One study showed that the number of dog bites in Italy had incresed from 2012-2021. Over that period of time the nubmer of incidents, where the person is treated at a hosptial, increased from .65 to 1.58 incidents per 100,000. While attacks are rare, as dog ownership in Italy has increased over the years officials see attacks as becoming a growing concern to pubilc health.
