A woman has died after being mauled to death by her brother's Rottweiler.
Patrizia La Marca, 53, was bringing the canine food before it set upon her and savagely attacked her in Italy.
Members of the emergency response team who were called to the incident said they had "never seen anything like it" after the woman had "pieces of her body torn away".
Ms Marca was tragically mauled to death in Ventimiglia, a resort town in the province of Imperia, in northern Italy, on Wednesday afternoon.
At around 4pm the victim was found with traumatic bites to her arms, chests, shoulders and head.
Her brother is a popular trade unionist in the town and she was at his home to feed the hungry Rottweiler while he and his wife, who haven't been named yet, were away on holiday for a few days.
Ms Marca was founded in a pool of her own blood by neighbours after the dog suddenly attacked, ripping chunks of her body off as she attempted to fight it off.
In an attempt to save her, emergency services and the Carabinieri - the national military force - were called in to try and save her.
On arrival, the police shot and injured the animal, which is now in a kennel under judicial control.
The injured woman was rushed to hospital by helicopter but died from the injuries inflicted.
One shocked emergency worker reportedly told local media: "The body was torn apart in several places, a very serious clinical situation, I have never seen anything like it."
It is currently unclear if the injured dog will be put down. The authorities are investigating the incident.
