A 56-year-old mother of two was mauled to death by her pet Rottweiler at her D’Abadie home on Tuesday night.
Gaytrie Chanderpaul was said to be giving her dog a treat at her Andrew Lane home when the animal attacked.
Guardian Media visited the family home but her daughter, Mandy, declined to speak.
A male relative said Chanderpaul’s two children were traumatised by the incident and preferred not to speak. Several small breed dogs were seen tied to trees in the family’s yard but there was no sign of the Rottweiler. The relative said police who visited the scene on Tuesday night said they would return on Wednesday for the dog but up until 5 pm, it was still at the family’s home.
While the relative spoke, others at the home were setting up chairs and a tent for a wake.
A police report from the incident said it occurred around 6.45 pm on Tuesday.
Chanderpaul was taken to the Arima Health Facility by her daughter but she died while receiving treatment.
She had been bitten several places on her body.
Two of Chanderpaul’s neighbours said she seemed to be a quiet person.
One said she had recently moved into the area and brought the dog with her when she arrived.
The neighbour said Chanderpaul had spoken about raising the dog from a pup and was often seen feeding and tying the animal out in the yard.
According to The Dog Control Act 2013, as amended by the Dog Control (Amendment) Act 2014, there are six types of dogs identified under the Act but the Rottweiler is not one of them.
According to Sita Kuruvilla, Council Chairman of the Trinidad and Tobago Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, that can change if the animal kills someone during an attack and can then be classified as a dangerous dog.
She said in such a case, the animal can be “put down.”
The last time someone was mauled to death in this coountry was in 2014 during a pitbull attack.
