HOUSTON – Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said a man found his 59-year-old mother unresponsive in the backyard of their home in the Miramar Lake Subdivision.
“There were some dogs in the backyard also. One of the dogs also had blood around his mouth,” said Herman.
Paramedics rushed the woman to the hospital, where she died. Constable Herman said the woman’s exact cause of death has not been released.
“The entire incident is under investigation. We’re still working on a few things but it appears to be consistent with an attack by the rottweiler dog,” said Herman.
Julie Blue lives next door.
“I never saw the Rottweiler outside,” said Blue.
She has Rottweilers of her own.
“They’re an aggressive breed. And any aggressive breed, you have to have trained well. They’re a very friendly breed. Rottweilers are an amazing dog, highly intelligent and that’s why they need that training,” said Blue.
Constable Herman said the rottweiler was euthanized. The owner’s other two dogs are currently in animal control’s custody. What led up to the deadly attack is under investigation.
Bob Holmes is a dog trainer and owns K-9 Obey LLC. He said dogs attacking their owners is not uncommon.
“Dogs are status elevating animals and if you have more than one sometimes they’ll compete and without the proper training, sometimes a big dog will actually turn on its owner,” said Holmes.
According to Holmes, Rottweilers are known to be aggressive. He said it’s important for owners to maintain authority over their dog and to provide proper training.
“They’ve been bred to be working dogs and they possess a little bit of aggression because they were also trained and bred historically to be guard dogs,” said Holmes.
“Sometimes they will assume the role and guard the house from strangers. because if they start becoming a little bit aggressive, they will start treating their owner like an employee,” said Holmes.
On Wednesday, two dogs attacked an 83 year-old man, a good samaritan and a Harris County Sheriff Deputy near Katy. Surveillance video showed the strange dogs appearing friendly at first before biting and knocking the man to the ground.
Holmes said it is best to never approach a dog that is not on a leash.
“I treat every dog like it’s aggressive. If it’s not on a leash, it shouldn’t be around you. You should leave the area,” said Holmes.