A woman has died after being brutally mauled by her pet dog in her own home.
Michelle McLeod was killed after what neighbours claimed was her ‘XL Bully’ dog, Bailey, attacked her in Aberdeen.
Emergency services rushed to the block of flats just after 11pm on Saturday but the 41-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police Scotland confirmed the dog has since been put down.
In a statement issued through the police, Ms McLeod’s family said they were ‘devastated by their loss’.
They said: ‘She was a much-loved mother, daughter and friend to many and will be sorely missed by all who knew her.
‘We would like to ask that our privacy is respected and allow us to grieve at this very difficult time.’
Police Scotland said: ‘Emergency services attended but the 41-year-old woman died at the scene. Inquiries into the incident are ongoing. The dog has since been euthanised.’
Emergency services were called to Michelle McLeod’s flat but she died at the scene
They added that inquiries were ongoing to establish the breed.
Neighbours last night claimed the tragedy comes just months after the grey dog was reported to police and the city dog warden after the ‘aggressive’ animal attacked another pet in July.
Dog owner Ryan Gray, 25, said he was out with his ten-year-old collie, Clyde, when Bailey lunged for his pet and punctured its neck, leaving him with a £18 vet bill.
He said: ‘Even with a muzzle, he managed to get a grip of my dog’s neck.
‘I really felt like that the dog was trying to kill him. I was really pleading with her to get him [Bailey] off.’
Mr Gray, who was also injured trying to prise the dog’s teeth from his pet, told how Ms McLeod struggled to control the muscular pet and would shout at him and others to keep their dogs away from him.
But he said: ‘It is really horrible what has happened. No one deserves that to happen to them. I never wanted to see that dog put down – I would have liked to see it go to someone who could have controlled it better.
‘It was only a year-and-a-half-old, so just a pup. This should never have happened.’
Neighbours claimed the dog was an ‘XL Bully’ type. Police said the animal was put down
Despite the animal’s behaviour towards other dogs and people, he said it was ‘so defensive of Michelle – she was his mum’.
Another resident, who did not want to be named, told how she feared leaving her home when Bailey was outside.
She said: ‘I would just stay inside because I got really nervous when I saw it because it looked so aggressive. It did have a muzzle but I have seen it walking off the lead. She and her boyfriend would walk it round about here.’
Neighbours said they were shocked to learn of Ms McLeod’s death, with many not aware of what had happened. One said: ‘The first we knew anything had happened was when there was five or six police cars and an ambulance in the street.
‘But we never heard anything, which is surprising considering what has happened. But I didn’t see anyone leave in the ambulance. Bless her, it’s horrible.’
It is a criminal offence in Scotland to keep an XL Bully unless an exemption has been issued. The maximum penalty is a £5,000 fine and six months in prison.
Aberdeen City Council was contacted for comment.
