This is a very odd and shocking report. Being a dog owner and self-proclaimed "dog person" it is hard to imagine something like this happening, especially from a dog owned by the victim. There has got to be much more to this story.

They did not have the 3rd dog long...the mastiff was a rescue.

It sure would be nice to find the rest of the story...this is not it....
I have 2 English Mastiffs and I do not see this ever happening.... something happened that we do not know ....terrible situation

A shame, for both. RIP, Dawn.

This is a sad story for all involved. I don't want to speculate as to what happened because I was not there and there could be dozens of different scenarios.

This story brings back memories of a friend who died a few years ago. Originally it was thought he was killed by the "dangerous breed" dogs his family owned after seeing the bite marks on his body. Later the family said, my friend died from a heart attack and the dogs might have been trying to "wake him up" or move him.

Sending prayers for her family and friends, including the four legged ones.

I LIKE ANIMALS AND DOGS BUT PIT BULLS AND MASTIFF'S , FORGET IT ; FOR SOME REASON THE OWNERS OF THESE BREEDS THINK THEY'RE GREAT , EVEN WITH SMALL CHILDREN AROUND ! THIS WOMEN SOUNDS LIKE A WONDERFUL HUMAN BEING ; MY CONDOLENCES TO HER FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS !

Sad. Prayers and more Prayers.

My true thoughts and prayer are with Dawn's Husband and Family also CoWorkers! Dawn came to my aid once and I will never forget the kindest she showed me! She truly was gifted! God Bless!

Thoughts and prayers to the family. Such a shame.

A massive and powerful animal, yet gentle and loyal. Until they decide that you are the enemy, and you are dead.

This is so sad

Dan, it is not the breed. It's the environment. It frustrates me when people make generalizations about breeds of dogs. Pitbulls are loyal dogs who will do anything for their owners, which is why they will protect or fight if trained to do so. In Europe they call them "nanny dogs" because of their kind, loving nature and gentleness with children. The problem is not the dog or the breed. It's the humans who train them.

This story is very shocking. Dawn sounds like an angel who felt she was doing the right thing for this dog. But it could be that this dog was not compatible with the other breeds within the environment. According to the news, they found the dog in the garage and it took 4 people to apprehend. This breed of dog according to certain websites can become aggressive as they age. What is compelling is the wounds were fatal. Paramedics are special people, what a great loss. My prayers and thoughts are with her and her family.

This is sad. Prayers to her family & firehouse.

So awful and just terribly sad. Generalization or not, we are completely comfortable with the idea that our children are not be permitted to be around certain breeds of dogs, no matter how sweet and loving their owners might proclaim them to be. As my friend in the insurance field tells us, every claim he ever settled for a pit bull bite was "the first time the dog ever did that". Any animal - dog, cat, whatever can behave in an unpredictable manner. But would I feel more comfortable with my child in a home with a Golden Retriever than a mastiff? Yeah, I would. And we are totally ok with that, which is all that matters.

Mastiff's unfortunately are getting to be one of the breeds that can have regression tendancies. With their massive size and weight it does not take much for one to cause a serious injury. Perhaps her radio went off or the dog did not recognize her. I am sure there is something that triggered the response. Having worked as a meter reader there were always breeds to look out for: Mastiff, Pit Bull, Doberman, Rotweiler, Huskies, and German Shepards. Many of these can be great family members, but they don't react well to "strangers." At this point the animal should be put down if no other fault can be found.

This makes me very sad. What an awful thing to happen. What makes me even more sad is that they obviously knew it was the Mastiff that did it. I don't think I want to know the details as to HOW they knew it was the Mastiff.. .. ..
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I can only imagine what she experienced during the attack - knowing that she was doing a good deed taking this dog in for someone else. It is nothing but sad all around..... I could only imagine what her own dogs experienced while the mastiff attacked and killed her. My dogs are rather loyal to me. I'm sure it was an awful scene. Circumstances do always need to be considered and anytime a dog attacks and kills someone. I could imagine a dog fight in the home she was trying to break up? Perhaps? Never a good thing...... But there should never be a debate as to whether or not to put the dog that attacked, down. Domesticated dogs of any breed should not attack and kill people.
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In 2011 there were 31 deaths in the whole country by dog attack. And we'll all agree that this was not her own dog. This truly is a big, powerful and loyal breed, but loyal to whom? She was a stranger, and this dog didn't like it. Not good.
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I am so sorry and sad that Dawn's death contributed to the horrible statistics of dog attacks. I am so sad for her and her family. And for the family who gave up the dog. I'm sure everyone believes that this could have been avoided.
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But there is no good answser. I think we're all stunned.

Dog knocked her down the stairs. Dog then attacks, which is common. It will take about a year before the Kane County Sheriff brain trust figures this out. This is an old Columbo episode.

This is very sad for all involved and my heart goes out to this woman's husband and family. However, the comments on this article make it even worse. Yes, I believe the dog should be put down - regardless of the circumstances that provoked the attacked (new home, other dogs, etc). Regardless, these comments about pit bulls and mastiffs are ridiculous. Anyone who lumps every dog in a particular breed into a "vicious, not trustworthy, gotta watch them" category are showing their ignorance. Animals, like people, are unique. You people are probably the same ones who assume that all black people are violent just because there is a higher percentage of incarcerated African-Americans in the US. Stupid, stupid, stupid people. And yes...I have a mastiff - he is a champion show animal and I've been around mastiffs for years, in large numbers. This is a rare situation. I haven't even met another mastiff owner that has been bitten, let alone killed.

Ash, your post is defensive and erroneous. Dogs have been bred for specific purposes for millenia, and pits and mastiffs are bred for very different purposes than poodles and retrievers. You're trying to excuse the breed for doing what it was bred to do. I agree with your premise that a firm, long-term owner can control a strong dog, but I also contend that your breed is indeed more dangerous than most other breeds in the absence of that type of owner, or as in the unfortunate case here, when the human and dog were not acquainted for sufficient time. To claim otherwise clearly shows your bias, if not ignorance.

I just wonder isn't there a procedure or protocol while introducing another dog into an environment where other breeds of dogs are present? I know with our family dog years ago when a cat was introduced we contained the cat for a while as our dog kept his 24 hr guard on the room where the cat resided. They apparently need time to adjust. Thanks for the stats on deaths from dogs as I did not know there are alot of breeds out there that have killed their owners. Now I believe the signs,"Beware of Dog."

Thanks, Logansdad as you can tell I don't own any dogs but I knew about the alpha concept and to introduce any new addition slowly. Based on your explanation, it appears however, there are no guarantees certain breeds will or do adjust accordingly. Unless I missed it, the age of the dogtor whether it was male or female was not disclosed. I have heard of reptiles(snakes) and exotic animals turning on their owners but this is the first to hear of a domesticated dog fatally killing. So shocking.

Honestly some of the comments on this thread are so totally ridiculous. What happened is a total tragedy and instead of offering sympathy and condolences to the family of this poor woman, there is a debate going on about dog breeds and what you would or wouldn't have, would or wouldn't trust. So many ignorant and uneducated comments instead about pit bulls (which had nothing to do with this death). This woman's family deserves and needs more than these comments. My prayers go out to the family, most especially the husband.

I talked to a friend last night who keeps Mastiffs and also her family is Fire Department (not in Big Rock but close by.) This dog had just been rehomed to this lady a week ago and clearly the dog was having adjustment problems. She felt and I agree that the dog should be put down.

I might add: So sorry for the family. This woman and her husband only had each other and their pets. Clearly a loving and caring couple. What a sad thing for her husband to have to deal with and a sad, sad home for the two remaining dogs to come back to. :-(

Everyone needs to not focus on the dog, and remember that Dawn was doing what is was called to do. Helping every living being, which included dogs. So this happened to her but she was only doing what she wanted to do. And that was taking care of those less fortunate. And in this case she recused a dog that need someone.
To Dawn"s family, she passed doing what she loved, and that was loving all beings.
God speed Dawn, and I hope to meet you someday, in the end of those that love all. Rest In peace.

So sad. My condolences to the family. It's hard to not wonder if there is more to the story but in the end it doesn't change that the family has suffered a terrible loss. I do wish people wouldn't use situations like this to spread more ignorance. It's clear that people who have commented about the danger of certain breeds as if they are experts are anything but.

RIP Dawn Brown. I will pray for your family, including your dogs. I hope your people pull together and help each other. I also hope people will deal fairly with your dogs. I hope we can learn from this and not just perpetuate breed hatred. We need to know what was going on in dog brains. That is the ONLY way we can learn from what happened.

The dog was to big for my neighbors so they gave it to there aunt and the 2 dogs got in a fishy and one of them bit here on the neck

Ya let the family grieve. I haven't seen one press release or additional comments that have been even close to being spot on. Get a life and move on Morron's. Let the family grieve.

All of these comments are sickening. Clearly the media and press have every detail WRONG about the story. She was not mauled she was bitten once. The mastiff was not given away because of a new baby in the home and the mastiff would not have been put to sleep if they had not opted to take him in. The mastiff also WAS NOT the aggressive one, the boxer was. The boxer did not get along with the mastiff (when the boxer attacked the mastiff ran the other direction) and Dawn was willing to get rid of the boxer had he not decided to get along with the mastiff because she LOVED that dog. HE WAS NOT A RESCUE! The mastiff was great around other dogs, children and adored people. He was simply the victim just because he was the BIGGER dog NOT because they had substantial proof. Let our family grieve and move on, the only thing correct about this story is how loving Dawn was and the fact that she is no longer with us.

Okay. Susan get your facts straight! The dogs who killed the woman in California were Presa Canarios. Im not saying they are bad dogs but they tend to have a more aggressive temperment. Great guard/protective dog for singles, couples without children. You need to show your dominance with these dogs and display YOU ARE THE LEADER OF THE PACK! For the attack on this poor lady. It must be taken into account that mastiffs are a loyal, gentle breed. Despite that, a full grown mastiff was moved into her home. A mastiff is definitely weary of strangers. When I mean strangers (someone they do not live with for long period of time). This dog does not need any training to be a guard dog as many people that come in contact with them will not get close unless the handler/owner says its okay. The woman was most likely seen as a stranger and or not viewed by the dog as leader of the pack. Therefor there was an attack. Its not uncommon for this to happen when large ADULT dogs are moved into new homes. This would mo. Would have never happend if it was a puppy and grown with her. On the othrr hand, there are breeds that have been raised since birth and still attacked when older but very unlikely with the English Mastiff!