Florida: Deputy kills 105-pound American bulldog after woman mauled in 'vicious' attack

FLORIDA -- A Martin County Sheriff’s deputy on Monday fatally shot an American bulldog named Otto after a “horrific” attack that left a woman covered in blood, Sheriff William Snyder said.

The 63-year-old woman injured in the incident, Cheryl Stone, is the mother of the dog’s owner, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff's officials were called before 6 a.m. to a home at 5696 Southeast Matousek Street in the Rocky Point area.

“As they moved toward her, the dog just was lunging and growling and they would not have been able to get to her without being attacked,” Snyder said.

A deputy fired three shots from a 12-gauge shotgun, killing the 4-year-old dog, which Snyder said weighed more than 100 pounds.

When deputies arrived, Stone was on the ground, screaming, an incident report states. Blood surrounded her, and investigators saw "scattered strands of hair" on the ground, according to the report.

“It was apparent that Ms. Stone was in desperate need of help,” a report states.

As deputies tried to get closer to Stone, the dog wouldn’t let them.

“Just shoot the dog,” Stone is quoted as saying.

A deputy fired, which Snyder said was the correct thing to do.

“The victim had managed to crawl inside her screened enclosure by her front door,” Snyder said. “It was clear … that she was seriously injured.”

Martin County Fire Rescue crews took Stone to Martin Hospital South, a report states. Snyder said the injuries were serious but not life-threatening. A hospital spokeswoman could provide no information on Stone Monday afternoon.

Stone told deputies she was walking her son’s dog when it went after a rabbit. She said she was pulled down by the leash into a table. She said she thought when she fell, the dog might have thought she was on the rabbit, and that’s when the attack started.

Hours after the incident, neighbor Steve Puglisi, 35, said he heard screams and didn’t know what was going on.

“It was scary,” he said.

Puglisi said he was familiar with Otto, describing him as “super friendly.”

“He’ll lick you to death,” Puglisi said.

Another neighbor, Renee Reeves, 49, said Stone’s son got the dog about a year ago. She said she gave the son ribeye bones for the pooch.

“Seemed like a well-taken-care-of animal,” Reeves said. “Big dog, intimidating.”

Reeves described Stone as a “great lady,” who works in her yard and does volunteer work.

“I just pray there’s no muscle or tendon damage to her shoulder or her head,” Reeves said. “We’ll get together as a community and help her out the best that we can.”

Snyder said there likely won't be any citations.

"This was an awful, awful accident, but it doesn’t seem to be any more than that,” he said.

A GoFundMe page has been established to pay for Stone's medical expenses.

(TCPalm - August 21, 2017)