A woman died Monday morning after being attacked by her own dog at a home on Saunders Settlement Road in Lewiston, New York, according to police. Lewiston police responded to a dog-bite call at the residence around 9:15 a.m., and officials confirmed the dog belonged to the victim before it was turned over to animal control.
Police identified the animal as the woman's 6-year-old St. Bernard, according to WKBW. The station reported that the woman later died from her injuries, while WGRZ reported that the 60-year-old woman died at the scene, according to police. The two accounts differ on the timing of her death, and neither has been reconciled publicly.
Identity Withheld as Investigation Continues
Police have not released the woman's name. The same WGRZ report says officers are withholding her identity pending notification of her family, and WKBW similarly noted that her name had not yet been released, calling the case an ongoing investigation. Investigators have not said what prompted the dog to attack its owner.
The dog, confirmed by police to belong to the victim, was turned over to animal control following the attack, per the WGRZ report. No further details about the dog's condition or any next steps for the animal have been made public.
Other Recent Attacks by Family Dogs
The Lewiston case follows other recent incidents in which dogs turned on their own owners. In Valley Stream, New York, a 75-year-old woman was hospitalized after being attacked by her two dogs on the front lawn of her home on East Avenue, according to ABC7 New York. Police there responded shortly before 5 p.m. on a Wednesday, and the woman, who suffered multiple lacerations, was reported in stable condition; Town of Hempstead Animal Control removed the dogs from the property.
In Hazel Park, Michigan, a 39-year-old woman was seriously injured when three dogs, later identified as two pit bulls and a Presa Canario, attacked her outside her home, according to WXYZ. Officers responding to that call around 8:17 p.m. found the woman lying in a driveway as the dogs actively attacked her; one dog bit a responding officer before police shot and killed one of the animals and captured the other two. The woman was taken to a hospital with severe injuries to her neck, arms and legs, and police said they had not determined what caused the dogs to turn on her.
Nationally, CDC data shows 468 deaths from being bitten or struck by a dog occurred in the United States between 2011 and 2021, an average of 43 per year, with annual totals ranging from 31 in 2016 to 81 in 2021. The figures offer broad context but do not explain any single case, including what happened in Lewiston.
No further updates on the Niagara County case have been released. Police have described the matter as an ongoing investigation, and no additional details about the woman's identity, the circumstances leading to the attack, or the dog's fate have been made public.
