By Gu Wenjian and intern Zhang Shaojie, Early Post. On the afternoon of November 28th, in Xingang Village, Jinze Town, Qingpu District, Shanghai, an 85-year-old woman was attacked and torn apart by two local dogs, leading to her unfortunate death due to excessive blood loss from a ruptured neck artery.
Currently, the two dogs responsible for the attack have been placed under control by the local village committee.
The elderly woman suffered a broken neck artery
Xingang Village is located near Zhufeng Road. Wang Zhaohua, aged 85, lived with her 90-year-old husband who was frail and bedridden. Due to their children not being around, Wang Zhaohua took full responsibility for her husband's daily care.
At 1:20 PM on the 28th, Wang Zhaohua was attacked. The "culprits" were two female local dogs. According to villagers' descriptions, these two dogs had a mother-daughter relationship, with the larger dog weighing about 40 pounds and the smaller one 20 pounds.
By the time the villagers arrived at the scene, Wang Zhaohua was already lying in a pool of blood. "There were bloody marks all over, with bite wounds visible on her knees, arms, thighs, calves, and ankles," several villagers reported. Subsequently, with the help of the villagers, Wang Zhaohua was assisted into her house after being injured. Her son, upon arriving at the scene, sent her to the nearest Zhujiajiao People's Hospital. Multiple villagers recalled that Wang Zhaohua's wounds were deep enough to reach the arteries. The hospital stated that she died as a result of hemorrhagic shock due to excessive blood loss.
Suspected heightened aggression during lactation period
Mr. Fu, Wang's nephew, believed that these two vicious dogs were usually free-ranging in the open space in front of the house. The small dog was tied with a rope about 2 meters long, but the large dog was left untethered.
Villagers indicated that both vicious dogs belonged to Ms. Ni's household and were used to guard the house. However, the villagers were all aware of the ferocity of the small dog, as it had already caused injuries multiple times.
"Ms. Ni's small dog had previously been involved in several incidents of injuring people, and its temperament became even more aggressive after giving birth. As soon as someone passed by the dog, it would start barking incessantly," said the villagers. "From the circumstances surrounding this tragedy, it seems the owner did not take effective preventive measures."
In response, Ms. Ni admitted that the small dog had bitten people during the period when it gave birth, but afterward, she claimed to have secured it properly.
Villagers call for strengthened management
Ms. Ni told the Early Post that because she needed dogs to guard her home, these two dogs had been in her family for seven or eight years. Regarding the cause of the incident, she acknowledged that "she hadn't thought it through thoroughly." "The barking of the two dogs once scared a villager into falling down, but I never expected them to bite someone to death," Ms. Ni said. When asked if the two vicious dogs were registered with relevant departments, Ms. Ni replied that they did not have a dog license, but the dogs had received rabies vaccines before. As for when the preventive measures were taken, Ms. Ni said she "couldn't remember," only stating after the incident occurred that "she would never keep dogs again."
Currently, the dogs responsible for the biting have been controlled by the village committee. A relevant official from the village committee expressed that given the large number of dogs in the village, they are working on persuading the villagers to follow relevant regulations for dog ownership to strengthen dog management.
Currently, under the coordination of the police and the village committee, both parties are negotiating the compensation amount.