Image: Mother, aged 41, fatally attacked by ‘her pet dog’ at apartment in Aberdeen while her grieving relatives honor her

Police have released the name of a mother who was mauled to death ‘by her own dog’ at home. 

Michelle McLeod, 41, was pronounced dead in a flat on Foresterhill Road, Aberdeen after emergency services were raced there at around 11.15pm on Saturday.

The mother’s heartbroken family have now paid tribute to her, and revealed their devastation.  

Police Scotland have confirmed the dog – whose breed has not been confirmed – had been euthanised.

In a statement, Ms McLeod’s loved ones said: ‘We are devastated by the loss of Michelle.

‘She was a much-loved mother, daughter and friend to many and will be sorely missed by all who knew her.

‘We would like to ask that our privacy is respected and allow us to grieve at this very difficult time.’

Neighbours last night claimed the tragedy comes just months after the grey dog was reported to police and the city dog warden after the ‘aggressive’ animal attacked another pet in July.

Dog owner Ryan Gray, 25, said he was out with his ten-year-old collie, Clyde, when Bailey lunged for his pet and punctured its neck, leaving him with a £180 vet bill.

He said: ‘Even with a muzzle, he managed to get a grip of my dog’s neck. I really felt like that the dog was trying to kill him. I was really pleading with her to get him [Bailey] off.’

Mr Gray, who was also injured trying to prise the dog’s teeth from his pet, told how Ms McLeod struggled to control the muscular pet and would shout at him and others to keep their dogs away from him.

But he said: ‘It is really horrible what has happened. No one deserves that to happen to them. I never wanted to see that dog put down – I would have liked to see it go to someone who could have controlled it better.

‘It was only a year-and-a-half-old, so just a pup. This should never have happened.’

Despite the animal’s behaviour towards other dogs and people, he said it was ‘so defensive of Michelle – she was his mum’.

Another resident, who did not want to be named, told how she feared leaving her home when Bailey was outside.

She said: ‘I would just stay inside because I got really nervous when I saw it because it looked so aggressive.

‘It did have a muzzle but I have seen it walking off the lead. She and her boyfriend would walk it round about here.’

Neighbours said they were shocked to learn of Ms McLeod’s death, with many not aware of what had happened.

One said: ‘The first we knew anything had happened was when there was five or six police cars and an ambulance in the street.

‘But we never heard anything, which is surprising considering what has happened. But I didn’t see anyone leave in the ambulance. Bless her, it’s horrible.’

The incident is the latest in a series of dog attacks that have resulted in death in the UK this year.

According to the Office for National Statistics there were 16 deaths due to dog attacks in 2023, a sharp rise from preceding years when the number had been in single figures.

In February it became a criminal offence to own an XL bully dog in England and Wales without a certificate.

It is also now an offence to sell or abandon an XL Bully Dog, or to let it stray, and it is  illegal to have an XL Bully in public without a lead and muzzle. 

Owners whose dogs are dangerously out of control are considered to be breaking the law, and penalties including prison time, disqualification from ownership or euthanasia of the dog can be enforced. 

It is also a criminal offence in Scotland to keep an XL Bully unless an exemption has been issued. The maximum penalty is a £5,000 fine and six months in prison.

Aberdeen City Council was contacted for comment.