Jane Egle, 59, was found dead by Buncombe County deputies who responded to a 911 call shortly after 5pm about an aggressive dog.
Authorities say the dog, a Boerboel (also known as the South African Mastiff), would not let rescue workers inside the home located near Bent Creek Forest.
Egle, who was believed to have bred Boerboels, was found unconscious with what appeared to be animal bites, police said.
Egle's LinkedIn account says: Owner Jane Egle, "Beloved Boerboels".
October 2012 – Present (4 years 8 months) Asheville, North Carolina Area.
Breeding and Training Boerboels (South African Mastiffs)
Deputies told the Citizen-Times that the Boerboel was killed after it wouldn't allow anyone inside.
'After multiple attempts, the dog was finally immobilized and subdued, and deputies were able to remove the dog from the residence,' Natalie Bailey, the Sheriff's Office spokeswoman told the Citizen-Times.
Investigators said they spoke with a relative at the residence and learned the dog had a history of aggressive behavior.
As of Friday, investigators said Egle's exact cause of death had not been determined.
Egle's Facebook and Instagram page shows several photos of Boerboel puppies and adults, whom she called her 'beloved' animals.
In some of the photos, Egle's three children are petting and playing with the dogs.
She also had a website that was developed in 2016 to advertise a litter of Boerboel puppies.
The county's Animal Services Division said seven other dogs were found at the residence and taken to the Asheville Humane Society after the incident.
Six dogs were Boerboels, and one dog was a Great Pyrenees.
Meredith Riddick, communications manager for the humane society, told the Citizen-Times that two behavior analysts evaluated the Boerboels and determined they cannot be released to the community.
The dogs are set to be euthanized, but as of Friday the society hadn't set a date.
'They are dangerous and we don't want to put our staff at risk, so we are still determining the best way to do that,' she said.
Riddick said the Great Pyrenees will not be euthanized and is not a threat to the public.
Authorities said the investigation into Egle's death is ongoing.
