AUSTRALIA -- Two women and their pet dogs were mauled in separate attacks by a pack of three dogs in Melbourne's east that left one woman in hospital fighting to save her finger.
A police spokeswoman said the three dogs involved were Staffordshire bull terriers, which were initially spotted chasing a girl in Boronia. It is not known whether the woman was trying to defend the girl.
An ambulance spokesman confirmed the first woman, aged in her late 40s, was taken to Angliss Hospital after emergency services were called to Langwith Avenue, just before 9am on Sunday.
The woman, Gillian Delphine, was mauled outside the Boronia Veterinary Hospital after attempting to protect her sick dog. Ms Delphine's husband, Brian Delphine, told Channel Ten News that ''part of [his wife's] finger has been ripped off, and is just hanging by the skin''.
Another woman, identified as Michelle Morales, was also bitten by the dogs and was taken to Maroondah Hospital in Ringwood East just after 9am with hand injuries.
The dog owner, who did not wish to be identified, has apologised to the victims.
Police said all three dogs had been handed over to the local ranger. Knox City Council said the dogs had been seized, and confirmed that one dog had been put down while the other two were taken to the RSPCA.
(theage.com.au - June 10, 2013)
