Anne Shields: Granny killed by dog she rescued had been warned by vet not to adopt stray
MACASTRE, SPAIN: A British grandmother tragically died after she was brutally attacked by a stray dog that she had adopted. She had been warned by a vet not to take it in as it was dangerous, the Spanish authorities have disclosed. The previous owner of the stray, who abandoned the dog and let it starve on the streets, has been identified by the police and they are investigating him on suspicion of manslaughter.
Anne Shields, 67, took in the starving pooch to live in her Spanish home but after four days she was left with catastrophic head and arm injuries as it turned on her. The animal was shot dead by the authorities to rescue the former security guard Anne from the dog's jaws but she breathed her last in a hospital. The police investigators said in their first official comments on Friday, April 28, that the dog's owner had been identified.
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The authorities also confirmed that the person of interest had been banned from owning pit bulls and other dogs termed as "potentially dangerous" in Spain due to previous crimes. The owner has been described as a 35-year-old Spaniard but his name has not been disclosed by the police.
Civil Guard spokesman issues a statement
"The Civil Guard is investigating the owner of a dog that attacked a woman in Macastre in February who ended up dying as a result of her injuries", a Civil Guard spokesman in Valencia near to Anne's property in Macastre said according to Daily Mail. "The 67-year-old British victim had to be rushed to hospital after officers killed the animal with their weapons so they could assist her due to the animal's aggressiveness. She died a day after being admitted to hospital because of the wounds to her arms. The victim had found the animal in an acute state of malnutrition and showing clear signs of abandonment, with illnesses like canine scabies, four days before it ended her life."
The spokesman added, "She was warned by the vet that saw the animal that it was dangerous and she shouldn't take it in but she ignored the warnings. Detectives launched an investigation to identify the dog's owner after discovering it had no microchip. They took 15 statements from different people and obtained photos showing the animal, which was aged around two, at different stages of its life.
Owner who abandoned dog is known to police
"The man, now under investigation, as well as some of his relatives, recognized the animal when shown the photographs obtained," he continued. "He is known to police and wasn't allowed to have these sorts of dogs under current Spanish legislation because of his previous crimes. Officers also discovered he had owned dogs of similar characteristics without the necessary safeguards and care. Detectives carried out an investigation of his home and observed the places where the dog could have escaped, as the suspect himself recognised in his statement. He is a 35-year-old Spaniard who was formally questioned and accused of a crime of manslaughter and another offence against pets because of his abandonment of a dog considered as potentially dangerous."
Neighbors raised the alarm after hearing Anne's scream
The kind-hearted British granny called the dog Choccy after adopting it. Neighbors raised the alarm after hearing her scream following the attack. Her daughter Sarah, 43, from Preston, said about her widowed mother, "She was an animal lover and couldn't bear the thought of throwing Choccy back on the streets. Her intention had never been to keep the dog but all the animal shelters were full. She was looking after him until she found someone who could take him. She stuck with him and then this happened. It's a nightmare."