Woman, 75, arrested after retired vet savaged to death in garden by pack of seven Bernese mountain dogs & dachshunds
A WOMAN has been arrested after a retired vet was allegedly mauled to death in his garden by seven dogs.
Antony Harrington, 77, was found dead in his garden after being savaged by a pack of Bernese mountain dogs and dachshunds at his home in Little Packington, Warwickshire.
The widower died on November 25 last year after suffering a cardiac arrest and multiple bite wounds, said cops.
Anthony, known to many as Tony, was pronounced dead at the scene, as his clothes lay torn and scattered around the garden.
Now, Warwickshire Police have confirmed a 75-year-old woman has been arrested and bailed while the investigation continues.
Seven dogs were seized at the scene in Meriden, Warwickshire, on the evening of November 25 last year.
A source told The Sun that Mr Harrington “loved” animals and one of the seven involved in his death was his own pet, while the others are believed to have been owned by a friend.
The source said: “What happened is horrific, no one knows why the dogs attacked him.
“He was found in the garden and bits of his clothes had been scattered around the grass.
“His family are distraught and hope the investigation can help them understand what happened.”
A spokesman for Warwickshire Police said: “At 6.04pm on November 25 2023, paramedics contacted police to inform them of a man in cardiac arrest at a house in Packington Lane, Meriden.
“The man in his 70s was declared dead at the scene. He had suffered bite injuries, which were found to be the cause of death. Inquiries are ongoing.
“Seven dogs were seized at the scene and a 75-year-old woman from the Coleshill area was arrested on suspicion of owning a dog dangerously out of control.
“She has since been bailed while inquiries continue.”
West Midlands Ambulance Service said in a statement: “We were called to reports of an unconscious patient in the garden of a property on Packington Lane in Meriden.
“Two ambulances, a paramedic officer and the air ambulance service critical care car were sent to the scene.
Dangerous Dogs Act explained
After eleven horrific attacks in 1991, Home Secretary Kenneth Baker promised “to rid the country of the menace of these fighting dogs” by introducing the Dangerous Dogs Act.
The law is often considered controversial as it focuses on a dog’s breed or looks instead of an individual dog’s behaviour, and failed to stem the rise of dog attacks.
According to the RSPCA, over a third of the people killed by dogs since the act was brought in were attacked by legal breeds.
As the horror unfolded, a friend of the retired vet ran into a neighbour’s house screaming “help, Tony’s dead”, MailOnline reports.
The woman, 75, is said to have moved in with Tony temporarily to help him after a knee operation.
Her savage pack of dogs also moved in just weeks before the gruesome attack.
The neighbour who was asked for assistance said the traumatic scene was “absolutely awful”.
“By the time I arrived, police, paramedics and an air ambulance were there but he was covered in bites and it was obvious he was dead,” she recalled.
“It was absolutely awful and not something you can unsee.”
She described the hysterical woman being in a “terrible state” after making the distressing discovery.
Dad-of-three Tony ran a veterinary surgery in Birmingham with late wife Louise from 1980 until they both retired.
He was also a steam locomotive fan and helped to restore a 1914 engine.
His funeral was held in Coleshill last month.
The neighbour who was asked for assistance said the traumatic scene was “absolutely awful”.
Dog Attacks
Britain is battling an epidemic of vicious maulings, with incidents last year hitting a 40-year high.
Police forces recorded 30,539 offences of an out-of-control dog causing injury to a person or guide dog in 2023.
This is a 21 per cent increase from the 25,291 recorded in 2022, reports the BBC.
In 2023, three people have been viciously attacked and killed – including four-year-old Alice Stones who was killed by her family’s dog her back garden in Milton Keynes.
Meanwhile, Wayne Stevens, 51, died following the attack inside a Derby home.
In the last ten years there have been a whopping 41 deaths as a result of vicious hound attacks – and ten of these took place in the last year.
From 2013 – present Yorkshire has seen five deaths from dog attacks – making it the most deadly area in Britain.
Joanne Robinson, 43, was savaged by two dogs at a home in Rotherham.
Her boyfriend Jamie Stead, 42, also suffered devastating injuries to his face, hands and chest as he tried to pull the animals off her.
And in September 2020, Elon Jase Ellis-Joynes was only 12 days old when he was fatally bitten by his family’s Chow Chow-cross called Teddy.
Merseyside and South Wales come in joint second for the most deathly dog attacks – with four in each county.
In October 2022 Ann Dunn, 65, died at her home in the Vauxhall area of Liverpool following a horror involving five American bulldogs.
Just two months later, retired nurse Shirley Patrick, 83, passed away in hospital 17 days after suffering “life-threatening injuries” from a dog in her home.