91-Year-Old Woman Perishes In Bullmastiff Attack On New South Wales Beach

A ninety-one-year-old woman is dead after being assaulted by three dogs roaming around New South Wales south coast beach.

The incident took place at approximately 7 am today on Collingwood beach in Vincenti.

The three dogs did not belong to the deceased.

The elderly woman died at the scene from injuries she sustained.

The dogs attacked four other people, as well, and left them with severe but not life-threatening bite marks and injuries.

Pete, one of the bite victims, recounted how he was alerted by the dogs charging on the beach early that morning.

He said he heard screams and ran down to the beach to find a paramedic and a group of distressed older people.

Pete then recounted how the dogs attacked him after they noticed him on the beach.

The dogs also bit three women, and they were all taken to Shoalhaven District Hospital for treatment.

One of the victims was the seventy-one-year-old daughter of the deceased older woman.

In their statement, the police said that the dogs were cross bullmastiffs and that the Shoalhaven Council Rangers had taken custody of the dogs.

The bullmastiff dog breed is a large-sized dog that was bred to be a guard dog.

It was created by crossing an old English bulldog with the English mastiff, and this gave the bullmastiffs specific characteristics that gamekeepers were looking for when it came to selecting a guard dog.

The breed is recognized for its speed and strength, and adult bullmastiffs can reach weights of forty-five to fifty-nine kilograms.

Bullmastiffs are often regarded as being a bit aggressive towards new people as they are known to automatically tackle and pin intruders until its owner gives the command to stop.

Greg Moore, NSW south coast Police District Superintendent, said the bravery displayed by the witnesses and the emergency service team at the scene was commendable and that investigators would be looking into how the dogs got out of the premises.

Investigations are ongoing, and it is not clear if the owner will be charged as yet

He also warned dog owners to keep all their animals secure, particularly those animal owners that have "aggressive breeds."

He said that the dogs would be put down.

According to the laws in New South Wales, dog owners can be fined tens of thousands of dollars or get jail time if their animals attack a human or another animal.