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Rottweiler in Bremen (symbolic image)
Photo: Bremerhaven Police / dpa
After a fatal dog attack in Austria, the judiciary has begun investigations: A 20-year-old is suspected of grossly negligent homicide and negligent bodily injury after a Rottweiler supervised by her attacked a woman and her grandchildren. This was announced by the Korneuburg public prosecutor's office. The death of the 52-year-old woman was announced on Wednesday. The children were injured.
According to the police, the attack took place at the end of July in Bruck an der Leitha, east of Vienna. According to the information, the dog ran out of a garden and bit the 52-year-old and grandchildren, aged two and seven. The 20-year-old is the daughter of the pet owner, according to a report by ORF . She would have had the supervision of the Rottweiler, reports the ORF with reference to a spokesman for the authority.
The woman and children were taken to hospital after the attack, the report said. According to police, the 52-year-old died in a clinic at the beginning of October. In order to clarify the cause of death, the public prosecutor's office has ordered an autopsy, said a police spokesman, according to ORF. The physical wounds of the two children have now healed, says a relative of the ORF. The two-year-old was bitten in the thigh and back, from which deep scars can still be seen. The psychological consequences also continue to occupy them.
Just recently, a similar case caused a stir in Austria: On October 2, a 60-year-old jogger was bitten to death in Naarn near Linz. The owner of three American Staffordshire terriers who had broken loose is also under investigation for grossly negligent homicide.
The incidents have triggered debates about the keeping of listed dogs and about the so-called working dog sport, in which, among other things, the prey drive of the animals is promoted and controlled. The Austrian Kennel Association announced stricter rules for trainers, owners and dogs in the field of working dog sports on Thursday.
ani/dpa