A family dog has been mauled to death after two other dogs broke into a yard in Perth — and it’s not the first time the aggressive canines have killed.
Mum Samar and her daughter were woken up on Saturday by the sound of their Pomeranian, Rocco, being mauled by two neighbouring dogs.
They ran outside to save Rocco, but there was nothing they could do.
Newsletters: Breaking news as it happens. Subscribe now 
“My daughter watched everything,” she said. “Yesterday, I couldn’t put her to sleep or anything.”
Rocco had lived with his family just two weeks. The dog brought joy to the family — especially to Samar’s daughters, aged eight and four.
Having to explain to her daughters that Rocco had died was excruciating, Samar said. “Coming home with no Rocco anymore, that put so much pressure on me as a mum to tell my daughter, ‘I’m sorry, I couldn’t do anything’,” she told 7NEWS.
“I gave her a hug and I told her ‘he’s gone, but he’s here’,” she said while patting her heart.
The two bull mastiffs responsible for Rocco’s death belong to a backyard breeder, and escaped their own yard then dug through into Rocco’s.
Two days earlier, the dogs — named Luna and Hercules — escaped and cornered a local resident in her driveway. Tarryn jumped into her car, but said the dogs threw themselves against the window trying to get to her.
“They were actually that ferocious that they had spit flying out of their mouths,” she said. “Barking, growling, biting, banging (against the window).”
It went on like that for two hours, Tarryn said.
Tarryn called WA Police, but when officers arrived, they couldn’t get out of their car until the dogs wandered away.
“The police put their window down and said, ‘here’s your chance to get inside’,” Tarryn said.
She ran inside, but said one of the dogs realised and came running back.
“He was straight across the road to get me,” she said. “He’s banging up against the front door, and he’s scratching at it.”
Luna and Hercules’ owner told 7NEWS he hadn’t expected this to happen. However, he admitted it’s not the first time the dogs have killed.
In a previous incident, the dogs escaped their yard and fatally mauled a neighbour’s Chihuahua.
WA Rangers have now collected Luna and Hercules, and their fate is pending an investigation.
Residents feel if rangers had acted earlier, Rocco might be alive.
WA Police were contacted for comment, but redirected to WA Rangers and the local council.
WA Rangers has been contacted for comment.
– With James Carmody
