Woman orders dog to attack neighbour in US

A pit bull was shot dead in North Carolina, in the United States, after allegedly mauling a man on the orders of its owner, police and court documents revealed.

As reported by People on Wednesday, according to a magistrate’s order filed in Wake County District Court, 58-year-old Sheila Marie Hunter directed her dog to attack her neighbour, Eli Santos Blanco, during a dispute outside their apartment complex.

The pit bull bit Blanco repeatedly, leaving severe puncture wounds in both arms.

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“It’s a hard pain to explain. At first, it was just okay, then she was ripping my tendons and muscles apart,” Blanco told WNCN, showing heavily bandaged arms. “I looked at that dog, and I saw the grip she had. I just started punching the dog, poking out anything to make it get off.”

Blanco said he might have suffered worse injuries if not for a bystander who intervened with a firearm, fatally shooting the dog mid-attack. “At that moment, a man with a gun shot the dog dead,” Blanco recounted.

Hunter, who has a criminal history spanning four decades, is now facing charges of assault with intent to cause great bodily harm, cruelty to animals, and intoxicated and disruptive behaviour. Police said she offered no aid to the injured animal after it was shot and instead shouted insults at officers during their investigation.

Hunter appeared in court via video on Monday, where a Wake County District Court judge set her bail at $30,000. Should she post bond, she is barred from contacting Blanco or owning any animals. She is due back in court on October 6.

The case comes amid rising concerns over violent dog attacks globally. In Chennai, India, on August 19, 2025, a man named Karunakaran was mauled to death by a neighbour’s pit bull in an unprovoked attack.

In Fargo, North Dakota, a baby was fatally mauled by a pit bull in July 2025.

And in Lagos, Nigeria, it was reported in November 2024 that a security guard was killed by three dogs at a private estate, with the animals later confirmed from pictures to be pit bull-type breeds.

These incidents highlight ongoing debates around dangerous breeds, owner responsibility, and the urgent need for stronger safety regulations. For Blanco, however, the experience remained deeply personal: “I just thank God someone was there to stop it before it got worse,” he said.