A 58-year-old woman died in an apparent dog mauling incident Monday.
According to Las Vegas police Friday, a family member called police around 11:40 p.m. Monday and said a woman appeared to be deceased in the 5000 block of River Splash Avenue, near Decatur Boulevard and Elkhorn Road. The person told police that it may have been a dog mauling and added they had a mastiff for just a few days.
The Clark County coroner later identified the woman as Susan Sweeney and said her cause of death was a mauling.
City of Las Vegas Animal Control confirms the dog involved was a mastiff presa canario mix breed that was adopted from the Animal Foundation. The dog has since been euthanized at the Animal Foundation at the request of the woman's husband.
According to Animal Control, the dog's behavior was assessed before it was adopted. It is unknown why the dog attacked.
The Animal Foundation released a statement about the incident:
The Animal Foundation has recently learned that a woman who adopted a large dog from our shelter lost her life as the result of an apparent attack from the same dog. At the request of her husband, the dog was humanely euthanized after the conclusion of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s investigation. The Animal Foundation did not have any information regarding the dog’s prior circumstances that would have led us to believe that he was unsafe, and while this dog was in our care his behavior did not raise any concerns. There are no words that can appropriately convey the deep sadness felt by The Animal Foundation. Our sympathies, thoughts, and prayers are with this woman’s family in the wake of their heartbreaking loss.
