Dogs are man’s best friend. They are emotionally intelligent and capable of understanding complex human emotions. Many people even train their dogs to have conversations. However, like everything in this world, even dogs can turn on their masters.
70-year-old Marina Verriest and her 66-year-old husband learnt it the hard way when, in July 2022, Marina was attacked and killed by their family dog, a pit bull.
On a peaceful suburban home in Nassau country, New York, when Marina’s husband returned home, he found his wife’s remains still being mauled by the dog. Seeing that scene of horror and grisly incident in front of him, he called the authorities.
When responding officers arrived at the residence, they were confronted by an extremely aggressive dog who was still near the victim’s body. Suddenly, the pit bull lunged at one of the officers, who was forced to discharge his firearm in defence. As a result, the dog was killed. It was later reported that the shot became necessary to protect the police officer and any other potential victim.
However, the report did not have a clear time of the attack on Marina. Nassau County Police reported that by the time responding officers reached the scene, significant mutilation was already done and that made it difficult to determine exactly when the attack began. The victim has suffered extensive injuries on her arms, legs and face.
Pitbull attack in San Antonio, Texas
‘Horrific scene’: Dog owner arrested after elderly man killed, 3 others injured. pic.twitter.com/a4989d2Tkr
— PPV_TAHOE (@ppv_tahoe) February 25, 2023
Most importantly, there had been no complaints against the dog or his behavior to any of the local law enforcement agencies. This lack of complaints raised the most important question as to why the dog became so hostile and aggressive and made him turn on the family member.
Patrick Ryder is the Nassau County Police Commissioner. He briefed the media on the deeply disturbing nature of the case. “The scene was pretty horrific,” Ryder stated. He also confirmed that the officer who was forced to shoot the dog was placed in psychological counselling, as reported by The Mirror.
Ryder told the media that what that police officer saw was extremely traumatic. He emphasized the importance of providing correct support to his team in response to such intense trauma.
The pit bull was not a new addition to the family. It belonged to the couple’s son who had tragically died in a motorcycle accident just weeks prior to the incident. The dog had since remained in the care of Marina Verriest and her husband.
It was speculated that maybe the dog was grieving or under extreme stress from losing his master like that.
Neighbors had described the animal as particularly strong and also sometimes difficult to control. One local resident recalled that when the son was alive, he used to walk the dog with both hands on the leash. That dog used to lead him.
This tragic case adds to ongoing concerns about dog safety. There have always been concerns regarding pit bulls due to their strength.
Kenneth M. Phillips is one of the attorneys who specializes in dog attack cases. According to him, there were 51 fatal dog attacks reported in the U.S. in 2021. Thirty-seven of them involved pit bulls or similar breeds. Twenty-one of those victims were either the dog’s owner or a family member. This showed a troubling pattern.
To this day, the cause of the dog’s sudden, violent outburst remains a mystery. Commissioner Ryder confirmed that no signs of abuse or neglect have been identified.
