A woman from Australian is now
in critical condition in the hospital after her dog bit off her arm in North
Queensland.
Emergency services were called
to a house in the coastal city of Townsville around 07:00 local time (22:00
BST) on Friday, where a 34-year-old woman had sustained "life-threatening"
injuries, according to BBC.
Her right arm had been severed
below the elbow, but the detached part was retrieved by paramedics before she
was rushed to a local hospital. She is in a serious but stable condition.
Police say they had "no
other option" but to shoot the dog dead at the scene.
In a press conference, Senior
Sgt Scott Warrick said police had arrived to find the woman bleeding heavily
outside the house and the dog, believed to be a pit bull, inside.
"It was very angry, very
aggressive... [it] was still trying to get outside."
Some officers barricaded the
house while others applied a makeshift tourniquet to the woman's arm and gave
first aid until paramedics arrived.
"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," Sgt Warrick
told reporters.
He added that the dog was
euthanised on the advice of animal control officers.
"I have dogs, and to see
an outcome like this is absolutely heartbreaking, and we do understand people
will be upset... but we were left with no other choice."
A second smaller dog was found
uninjured at the scene and is being cared for by the RSPCA.
Two neighbours told the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation the dog involved in the incident was known
for being aggressive - with one showing them scars where he said it had
previously attacked him.
Sgt Warrick said police may
have been contacted about the dog before, but added that his team, the RSPCA
and local council are all still looking into the specifics.
It comes a day after another
attack in a Melbourne backyard, where a woman was critically injured and the
three dogs responsible shot dead by police.
Local media have reported that
two of the dogs were bulldogs and the third was a pit bull.
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