Mother Of Three Mauled To Death By 'Guarding' Pet Dogs Following Argument With Pregnant Daughter

A mother of three was mauled to death by her two "guarding" pet dogs which had a history of aggression, an inquest heard Wednesday.

The victim, 44-year-old Elayne Stanley, was killed by pets DJ and Billy at her home on Graham Road in Widnes, England, on September 24, 2019, when the dogs turned on her following an argument with her pregnant daughter, Louise Smith.

An inquest at Parr Hall, Warrington, on Wednesday, heard the dogs had a history of attacking people. The dogs were previously owned by the victim’s partner Paul Leigh.

Smith told the court the dogs had been living with her mother for about three years.

"My mum was happy with it, she had them around her two children and my two," she said.

According to court records, Leigh was ordered in 2016 to take the necessary steps to keep his dogs under control.

During the inquest, Smith said that she was unaware of the 2016 verdict involving the dogs. She said she also did not know if her mother was aware that Leigh was convicted under the Dangerous Dogs Act for being the owner of the dogs.

The dogs had attacked another dog that had to be put to sleep and mauled another dog owner in a different incident.

Smith who was pregnant at the time of the incident said she had gone to her mother’s home after college on Sept. 24, 2019. The duo then engaged in a "heated discussion."

As she began to leave, DJ, a male American bulldog crossed with a Dogue de Bordeaux, pounced on her mother and bit her on the bottom of her leg, Smith said in the inquest.

"I tried to get the other dog into the kitchen - she turned around and saw what was happening and went for her as well."

"They were really big dogs, there was no way I was getting two dogs off her."

"I went to get help," Smith said.

Neighbors who responded to the scene attempted to distract the dogs, but their efforts were in vain.

Stanley suffered multiple bite wounds to her back, upper arms, scalp, and neck. The bites on her neck had "completely transected" her jugular vein. The medics who responded to the scene declared her dead.

Her 12-year-old twin daughters who had been upstairs at the time of the incident did not witness the brutal attack.

According to Jason Lennox, lead dog legislation officer for Cheshire Police, American bulldogs were "guarding dogs" and could read body language during arguments.

"DJ has interpreted this as a potential problem and has tried to stop any physical contact," he said.

When Smith asked Lennox whether the dogs may have detected her pregnancy, He said, "he may well have sensed you were pregnant and may well have been trying to protect you, or trying to protect you and the baby."

After two failed attempts to sedate Billy, she was finally put down at the scene. The other dog, DJ, was escorted away from the house and later euthanized, Lennox said.

Leigh had been called to produce evidence but had not attended the inquest, Coroner Peter Sigee said.