'Menacing' dog that mauled Sydney elderly woman had already been seized and 'stolen'
A "menacing dog" that savagely attacked an elderly Sydney woman had previously been impounded and allegedly stolen after an earlier attack.
The 81-year-old victim, Josephine, was walking on the footpath on Fulton Avenue at Wentworthville on Monday afternoon when she was attacked by two American Staffordshire terriers.
She was taken to Westmead Hospital after suffering cuts to her face and body.
One of the dogs' owners, Miichaela-Louise Platt, said her pets were chained up when she left them in her backyard and that she felt "sick" when she saw the victim's injuries.
Ms Platt told Daily Mail that she left for McDonald's and arrived home 20 minutes later to find police cars filling her street.
When authorities showed her a picture of Josephine's injuries she said she "felt sick" and would have been "heartbroken" if it were her nan.
The young owner said she and her family "feel bad" for the attack and there would be no apology worthy enough to make it up to the victim.
The two dogs are on death row and Ms Platt said she is devastated.
Ms Pratt has maintained that her dogs, Roxy and Zeus, have always been "playful" and believed the savage attack was out of character. She told the Daily Mail she believed someone had unchained her animals and "excited" them before the attack.
7 News have since revealed that Zeus was declared a "menacing animal" and impounded on February 9 after another attack in Merrylands.
Council workers impounded Zeus in Blacktown but it was allegedly stolen three days later.
When asked about the allegations, Ms Platt told 7 News she "didn't want to say anything about it".
Four people - two men and two women - were also mauled when they attempted to stop the dog from attacking Josephine and were treated at the scene.
The dogs fled after council worker, Simon Lamin, scared them off with a shovel.
A witness, known only as Adam, said he was across the road when the attack began.
“I sort of shouted at the dogs and they walked away from her and then they came at me,” he told 7 News.
“And then they went back to the lady. And then I ran back home to get more help.
“[The woman suffered] wounds to the head. It was just terrible,” he said.
Adam's brother, sister-in-law, and another woman reportedly stepped in to protect the elderly woman from the two dogs, but they were also bitten themselves.
"They had attack marks on their bodies for saving the old lady," Adam said.
Another witness told 7 News he saw the aftermath of the attack.
“All I see is the lady lying down and she was bleeding from her nose and some other parts of her body," he said.
The elderly woman was taken to Westmead hospital in a serious, but stable condition.
She was treated for extensive cuts and bruises to her face and body - specifically her nose, ear, and cheek.
A man and woman drove themselves to hospital with injuries, and the woman is expected to undergo plastic surgery for her leg injuries.
Police and council are investigating the incident while the dogs remain locked up at the animal holding facility in Blacktown.
