Woman’s arm bitten off by her own dog

Australian woman lucky to be alive after ‘mongrel pitbull mix’ severs her arm from under the elbow

An Australian woman was left with horrific injuries after her arm was bitten off by her own dog.
The 34-year-old woman was attacked by the dog, which was described as a “mongrel pitbull mix”, at her home in Townsville, Queensland, on Friday morning.
Police said she was lucky to be alive after officers used a tourniquet to limit the bleeding.
The incident happened after the dog reacted aggressively to a neighbour arriving at the owner’s house, who told the Courier Mail newspaper: “The dog got riled up at the neighbour and she put her arm out to bring him back, that’s when he got her arm.
“Her arm’s off from under the elbow.”
Rob Moore, another neighbour, heard screams coming from the apartment. “Five minutes later there were 10 police cars and three ambulances here,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“I opened the back door to have a look outside and the police officer told me to stay inside.”
Police called to the scene said they had no option but to shoot and kill the animal, which they described as “very aggressive”.
Officers used a tourniquet on the remaining part of the woman’s upper arm to stop her losing blood.
Snr Sgt Scott Warrick said: “My young constables that attended there, they provided tactical first aid [and] a tourniquet.”
By doing so they probably saved her life, he added.
“I’ve been a police officer for 37 years… this is the first time I’ve gone to such a serious injury as a result of a dog attack. The injuries to this lady are just absolutely awful and we wish her a speedy recovery.
“The dog was very angry, very aggressive, and was trying to get outside,” he said.
The woman was reported to be in a serious but stable condition after being taken to Townsville University Hospital.
Her arm was recovered from the scene of the attack and surgeons are assessing whether they can reattach it.
Corey Geesu, another neighbour, said the dog had attacked him two weeks ago. “They should have taken the dog after it bit me,” he added.