Pit bull mauls 82-year-old owner to death, pet handed over to authorities

An elderly woman's pet pit bull killed her by tearing her abdomen open at her house in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

The 82-year-old retired school teacher, Sushila Tripathi, was walking her two dogs, a pit bull and a labrador, on the terrace of her house in Qaiserbagh, Lucknow, when the tragic incident took place on July 12.

The maid, who was working in the house at the time of the incident, found Tripathi lying on the ground in a pool of blood. She had wounds to her stomach, face, and hand.

Her son, Amit Tripathi, who was away for work, was immediately informed and the woman was rushed to the hospital. Unfortunately, she succumbed to her injuries at the local hospital.

"One Sushila Tripathi, 82, of Bengali Tola locality, was attacked by her pet dog. Her body was recovered and sent for a post-mortem examination. We are coordinating with the officials of Lucknow Municipal Corporation regarding the incident," said Yogesh Kumar, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Qaiserbagh.

According to a report in News18, the pit bull named Brownie had been with the family for three years and had never attacked anyone in the family. The dog has been taken away by the local authorities.

A video that has now gone viral on social media shows the woman's son, Amit, putting the pit bull in the animal control van.

According to local media reports, Brownie is a female dog and was kept on the terrace due to pressure from neighbours. The family had a licence to keep the dog, but they had not gotten it sterilised.

Fancy dog breeds have become a status symbol for wealthy Indians. The number of people acquiring these expensive breeds as pets is only increasing each year.

"The problem is that most of the time, people, especially in big cities, opt for fancy breeds without understanding the nature and needs of the dog," said Kaveri Rana, a member of the Wildlife and Gaushala committee of Gautam Buddh Nagar, told The Print.

Pit bulls are seen as a fierce dog breed, but the experts say that they are loyal as well, and that their behaviour completely depends on their training and treatment.