A man said the dog that killed his partner “thought he was an alpha male” and he wanted him put down, an inquest heard.
Mum-of-two Joanne Robinson, 43, was mauled to death by her large Italian Mastiff dog Rocco after returning from a night out to her West Melton home, near Rotherham, on July 15, last year.
A post-mortem revealed the carer had suffered repeated tears and bites to the neck, suffering heavy blood loss, and would have died "within minutes" of the attack, reported YorkshireLive.
Ms Robinson's partner Jamie Stead said of the dog: “I think Rocco thought he was an alpha male - he would jump up.
"I felt I couldn’t trust him with the grandchildren. I wanted to have the dogs put to sleep, but Joanne spent all her time with them and wouldn’t have them put to sleep."
Coroner Matthew Stanbury told a Doncaster inquest on Tuesday that Ms Robinson died as a result of an attack by a "dangerous dog".
He said: "He was known to be dangerous before the attack but the extent of the dangers of the large dog were not fully appreciated."
Describing Joanne, Mr Stanbury said: “She was a much-loved daughter, mother, and sibling. She was a sociable person described as being the life and soul of the party. Her GP described her as a sincere and warm-hearted person who loved her family and her dogs."
In the lead-up to the attack on the night of her death, Ms Robinson was sitting on the sofa - having returned from a friend’s house - when Rocco began "nuzzling" her from behind. The dog would do this to force his owners from the sofa so that he could sit behind them and receive attention, the inquest was told.
But as Mr Stead grabbed Rocco the dog’s eyes "widened and dilated" as he jumped at his owner, biting him on the mouth. He then “lunged” at Mr Stead - grabbing him by the forearm and pulling him to the floor.
In a statement read out to Doncaster Coroners Court, he said: “I was covered in blood and in pain and told Joanne to call an ambulance. He bit me on my left bicep through the muscle of my wrist.”
The terrified owner described “just going with” the attack in fear the animal would rip his hand off. As the attack on Mr Stead continued, the couple’s other dog of a similar breed, Lola, entered the room and the two animals began fighting.
But Joanne refused to leave the room as her partner hurriedly looked for food to distract them - and she stayed in the lounge trying to split the two animals up.
Mr Stead then found Joanne with the dog lying beside her on the lounge floor moments later.
Police arrived to secure and seize both dogs, and paramedics later pronounced Joanne dead at the scene.
Mr Stead described in his evidence how Rocco was a "Jekyll and Hyde dog" who was "OK with some but not with others".
He was purchased by the couple in November 2020 from a breeder named "Gangland Bullies" who advertised him as an American XL Bully. However, he noted that Rocco was much larger than Lola - their other dog - who was believed to be an American Bully who was bought in August of the same year as a puppy.
Several fights between the two animals led to the two dogs being permanently separated and the couple’s grandchildren being banned from the house.
Dog expert Shaun Hesmond-Halgh said in his evidence that the dog’s lineage was more in-line with a “molossus”-type of dog such, as a Cane Corso or an Italian Mastiff, despite what Mr Stead and Joanne believed.
He described Rocco, following an assessment before the animal was put down, as of an “ambivalent nature” with a “propensity for aggression”. The relationship between Rocco and his human owners was described as “dysfunctional”.
Coroner Stanbury, gave a cause of death for Ms Robinson as neck injuries. He said: "The dog was dangerous as a result of genetic, clinical, behavioural, and environmental factors.”
