Pet owner savaged to death by her 'best friend' pit bull she saved from being put down for killing previous owner

A pet owner was savaged to death by a pet pit bull she saved as a puppy when he was due to be put down for killing his first owner in an almost identical attack.

Wandee Aphibanthanakit, 70, adopted the canine, named Giant, five years ago after he had attacked and killed Wisit Sanguanmak, 56, in Bangkok, Thailand.

The pensioner raised the puppy and considered him her 'best friend'. She even rented the house next door solely for the pampered pooch to live.

But she released the demon dog from his cage for a bath when he suddenly clamped his jaws down on her arm last Wednesday, September 9.

The elderly woman was left screaming in agony as the beast then tore into her head, face, and neck.

She managed to stagger toward the doorway, but soon bled to death at the house.

Wandee's Burmese housekeeper notified police following the horror attack at 6:30 pm local.

Officers arrived at the single-storey property in Bueng Kum district, where six-year-old Giant was found roaming freely in the yard.

The hell hound was visibly agitated, panting heavily while its face was stained with blood.

Police eventually managed to coax Giant back into his cage, with one team distracting him from the front of the house while another entered through the rear to reach lifeless Wandee.

Wandee was found lying motionless near a doorway, with bloodstains on the ground.

Paramedic Jakkritphong Khongkhiao said: 'About an hour ago, we received a report that someone had been injured in a dog attack. We responded immediately, and teams from Katanyu Hospital and the Siam Ruamjai Foundation arrived at the scene.

'Once we arrived, we called in an ambulance from Noparat Hospital to help treat the injured person. Unfortunately, the patient had lost a lot of blood and later died.

'We're now waiting for the evidence to be verified. Doctors from the Police Hospital and the Police Forensic Institute will also come to carry out an investigation at the scene.'

The Burmese maid said Wandee lived in a different house, and had rented the property solely to keep Giant.

She added: 'The owner treated the dog like her best friend. She visited daily, fed the animal herself, and bought him toys to play with so he wouldn't be bored.

'Before the attack, Wandee arrived to play with Giant as usual. I was trying to put the leash on as we were about to bathe him when he suddenly attacked her. I ran away, but he continued mauling Mrs Wandee.'

The housekeeper said that Giant had seemed ill and restless before the incident.

Officers said the pet owner's body was sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine at Police General Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

In 2021, Giant was just a one-year-old puppy when he mauled his previous owner to death at a home in Bang Lamung district, Chonburi province.

The previous owner had raised Giant since he was a puppy before the vicious canine ripped into him while he was sleeping.

It took rescuers 30 minutes to sedate the rabid dog, whose fur and paws were soaked in his owner's blood.

Giant was reportedly due to be euthanised following the attack, when Wandee decided to adopt him.

Neighbours said the dog lover was known for her kindness towards stray animals and would regularly feed dogs she encountered.

Thailand is notoriously unregulated over pets and there are no laws preventing people from keeping dangerous dogs.

In Phetchabun, Surachai Chuchaloem, 61, was seriously injured after two pit bulls attacked him at a house in Chon Daen district, on April 10. He suffered severe wounds to his face, arms, legs and torso after the dogs were reportedly startled by the sound of his motorcycle.

In Samut Prakan, a grandmother, 70, was mauled by another pit bull named Four, who reportedly escaped his home after a child opened the gate to collect a parcel on March 11.

While in Chonburi, a female delivery worker, 49, was bitten by a pit bull while delivering a parcel to a home in Phan Thong district on February 23. The dog bit her upper right leg, leaving a wound that later became infected and required hospital treatment.

Despite numerous fatal pit bull attacks reported in the news, stubborn locals continue to keep the rabid animals as companions.