Marina Verriest: Long Island woman, 70, dies after being viciously attacked by family pit bull in backyard
Warning: Graphic content
LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK: The body of a 70-year-old Long Island woman was discovered mutilated in her garden. According to the police, the lady was attacked and killed by the family's pit bull.
According to Nassau County authorities, Marina Verriest, an Albertson homeowner, was killed on Wednesday, July 27 after being slain by her 7-year-old dog. Her husband reportedly discovered the dog devouring the victim and phoned the police at around 1 pm.
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Apparently, an officer was also assaulted by the vicious dog when the police came. The police then shot and killed the dog. Emergency personnel at the scene declared the woman dead.
According to Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder, the dog frightened the cop before he fired his weapon. He is presently receiving medical attention.
According to the New York Post, Ryder said, "The scene was pretty horrific. We don’t know what time the attack took place, but there was obviously a lot of mutilation on the body and the arm, the face, and the legs. The officer saw something that was very traumatic, we take care of our officers and make sure they’re OK. "
The family's step-son, who had been residing with them, owned the dog. He had passed away in a motorcycle crash a few weeks prior, The Post stated, quoting the police.
In addition, Ryder noted that the dog had been a member of the family throughout its entire existence and that they were unaware of the cause of his aggressive behavior. "We don’t know what turned the dog or why the dog turned on the woman. There had been no previous domestic calls to the home or calls regarding the dog," Ryder said.
Pit bulls are known to be violent animals that may attack people if they feel threatened, are ill, or are not given the best possible care. All animals have the potential to become aggressive when provoked, but certain breeds need more attention than others. Pitbulls do tend to attack if a person is caught up in a territorial dispute between two dogs, if the dog scents prey, or if the dog is in despair.
According to the website DogBiteLaw.com, 51 Americans were killed by dogs in 2021. Out of those, 37 died from one or more pit bulls and their various breeds. 21 of those victims were either the owner of the pit bull or a member of the owner's family.
However, pit bulls continue to be a popular and desired breed among many Americans. Many people choose to purchase violent breeds from dog breeders rather than rescue them from shelters where dogs and cats are taught to get along with other animals.
According to the Humane Society US, too many animals enter shelters and not enough individuals think about adoption when seeking a pet, resulting in more than one million adoptable dogs and cats being put to death each year in the United States.