https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13265609/retired-vet-dead-garden-attacked-seven-dogs.htmlRetired vet, 77, is found dead in his garden after being attacked by seven dogs including his own black Russian terrier: Detectives investigating father-of-three's death arrest 75-year-old woman
Antony Harrington was found in his garden, his clothes torn to pieces by dogs
Police unsure whether the attack contributed to his death or happened after
Woman arrested on suspicion of owning a dangerously out of control dog
By Jon Brady
Published: 00:27, 3 April 2024 | Updated: 00:37, 3 April 2024
A retired vet found dead in his garden was attacked by a pack of dogs including his own pet, police say. Antony Harrington was attacked by the scrum of animals, said to include his own black Russian terrier as well as several large Bernese mountain dogs, at his home in Little Packington, Warwickshire. The father-of-three is believed to have suffered a cardiac arrest during the attack and was declared dead at the scene but detectives are still trying to ascertain whether the bites led to his death or if he was attacked after dying. Sources said the attack was so vicious that scraps of Mr Harrington's clothes were found scattered around the garden; the tragedy has left his family 'distraught'. Sources say Mr Harrington 'always loved animals' and that the other six dogs seized by police were owned by a friend living with him at the time. But why the dogs attacked him still remains a mystery five months on from his death on November 25 last year. 'Tony always loved animals and had a huge black terrier of his own,' a source told The Sun.
'He was found in the garden and bits of his clothes had been scattered around the grass. His family are distraught and hope the investigation can help them understand what happened.'
Mr Harrington ran a veterinary surgery in Birmingham's Hodge Hill called The Lodge with his late wife Louise from 1980 until they both retired. A steam locomotive enthusiast, he helped to restore a 1914 traction engine that remains in use to this day, per his family's wishes. The National Traction Engine Trust paid tribute to Mr Harrington on social media ahead of his funeral, which was held in Coleshill, Warwickshire in March. Its post on Facebook read: 'We were saddened to hear of the death of Tony Harrington last November. Tony was tragically killed last November and circumstances surrounding his death are still part of a police investigation.'
Following the incident, police arrested a 75-year-old woman on suspicion of owning a dog dangerously out of control. She has has since been bailed. A spokesperson for Warwickshire Police, which is leading the investigation, told the paper: 'Enquiries are ongoing and it is yet to be determined whether the bites caused the death, or the man had died prior to being bitten.'
Last month, it was revealed that dog attacks in the UK had risen by a fifth in one year with police recording more than 80 incidents a day. Police forces recorded 30,539 offences of a dog injuring a person or a guide dog last year increasing from 25,291 in 2022. Responding to the increased scale of attacks, and a series of fatalities, cause by XL Bully-type dogs, the Government brought forward a ban on the dangerous dogs.
