A disabled man has been killed by his son’s pet dog in far northeast Melbourne.
Donata Biancofiore desperately tried to save her husband Leo, 61, but could not fight off their son’s pet american staffordshire terrier.
The dog, called Junior, mauled Mr Biancofiore to death in the backyard of his home on Ancona Drive in Mill Park at 7pm on Wednesday. Mr Biancofiore relied on crutches and a wheelchair due to an injury.
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Mrs Biancofiore sustained serious upper body injuries and remains in a stable condition at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Victoria Police shot at the dog when they arrived at the property before the animal was taken by animal control about 10.30pm.
The couple’s neighbours Radenko and Danielle Subotic told The Herald Sun they thought someone was being murdered after they heard screams next door.
“I heard the screaming from my backyard,” Mrs Subotic said. “I saw him on the ground.
“The dog was on top of the body of the man.”
The Subotics’ children tried to intervene by hosing the dog.
Mrs Subotic said Mr Biancofiore was completely helpless against the dog.
“He was a completely dependent person,” she said. “He was unable to help himself.”
Adriana Ackar, another neighbour, said Mr Biancofiore was a lovely man.
“Only last week, the kids kicked the ball over the fence and they went round and he was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, I’ll throw it over’,” she told The Herald Sun.
Senior Sergeant Glenn Parker said last night that Mr Biancofiore’s daughter-in-law had given permission for the dog to be put down.
“He (the dog) will be taken to a veterinarian, and my understanding is that the owner of the dog has actually consented to that dog being put down,” he said.
“It’s an older dog, it’s quite familiar with all of the members of the family and my understanding is it’s out of character for the dog.”
RSPCA Victoria’s Tegan McPherson said there were several causes of dog attacks, but breed wasn’t necessarily one of them.
“Breed alone is not a reliable predictor of aggressive behaviour,” Ms McPherson told ABC radio.
“From what we’re hearing, this dog didn’t necessarily have a background of aggressive behaviour until this incident.”
Triggers for dog attacks could range from environmental factors to pain and fear, she said. It could also be related to pathological changes in the dog’s brain.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING: AAP
Reporter
Melbourne
Remy Varga is a reporter at The Australian. She has a Masters in Journalism from UTS and a BA in Modern History and Spanish and Latin American studies. She spends her time stalking politicians on Twitter.
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