Ben Madilynn
A woman is fighting for her life in hospital after she was savagely mauled by three dogs in a Melbourne backyard this morning.
Police were called to a home on Ross Street in Dandenong just before 10am, where they found the dogs attacking a woman in her 20s.
Initial efforts to use capsicum spray to remove the dogs – two American bulldogs and a pit bull – from the woman failed.
Officers were forced to use their guns, firing 16 shots to kill all three dogs.
The woman has been rushed to Dandenong Hospital in a critical condition with injuries to her legs and arms.
Neighbours said they could hear screams for help before the shots rang out.
“The dogs had attacked on her and she was screaming, ‘The dogs are killing me, I’m dying, I’m dying’,” a neighbour told 9News.
“I just woke up and heard the gunshots so I got scared and go inside in my house,” another neighbour said.
It’s believed the dogs are owned by the victim’s partner, who has had them since they were puppies.
It’s understood the dogs had previously been reported to the council for their aggressive behaviour.
One neighbour told 9News her pet was attacked by one of the dogs a few months ago.
Police said they attended the property earlier in the day for an unrelated incident and believe that may have unsettled the dogs.
An investigation is continuing, police said.
