The 82-year-old from Covelo, Pontevedra, named as Maria Dolores AB, was set upon by two French mastiffs owned by a neighbour as she returned home from mass.
Horrified witnesses described how the animals bit her lower legs and scalp to the bone before being pulled away.
She was reportedly dragged for 30 metres (~90 feet) and her injuries were so serious that surgeons were forced to amputate both her legs below the knees.
According to local media reports, the dogs had escaped from the garden of their owner’s home, with police now probing the incident.
The victim was taken to the Alvaro Cunqueiro de Vigo Hospital where she remains in a critical condition.
The town mayor, Juan Pablo Castillo, said: “It is a tragedy that has affected us all,” before confirming that there had been no issues with the animals reported prior to the attack.
While one of the dogs is a pure French mastiff, also known as Dogue de Bordeaux, the other is a boxer cross, and the incident has raised questions over whether they should be considered potentially dangerous or not.
While the mastiff appears on the Galician dangerous dogs list, neither it nor the boxer are included on the national version.
Under Spanish law owners of dog breeds considered potentially dangerous, including rottweilers, pit bull terriers, and Staffordshire bull terriers must possess a mandatory licence and keep the animals muzzled and on a lead whenever in public.
(Euro Weekly News - Nov 8, 2017)
