XL Bully owner was celebrating birthday when she was mauled to death - as videos emerge of her defending breed

6 June 2024, 08:46 | Updated: 6 June 2024, 09:37

An XL Bully owner killed by her dog had just come home from celebrating her birthday when she was mauled to death.

Nicole Morey, 23, was killed in the dog attack in the Fedamore area of Limerick on Tuesday after coming in from a night out celebrating her birthday with family and friends.

Investigators believe she had just opened her front door when she was mauled by the dog. A second dog, a Staffordshire Terrier, also joined in the attack, it is believed.

Ms Morey was treated by paramedics at the scene but succumbed to her injuries.

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Heartbreaking footage has now emerged showing Ms Morey in happier times with her dog as the two dance around her kitchen. She also used the video to defend the breed with overlaying audio saying she does not "give a f*** if you think the breed should be banned."

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The TikTok video posted in December and captioned "my boy" continues: "This is my son, and I don't give a f*** if you think he looks aggressive.

"I don't give a f*** if you don't like the look of him, and I certainly don't give a f*** if you think the breed should be banned.

She also posted other videos showing her and the dog. One showed her hugging the animal and another of her lying on it. It is not clear if the dogs in the videos are the same as those involved in the attack.

Following reports of the attack at around 11.40pm on Tuesday, emergency services and the regional Armed Support Unit attended the house in Ballyneety, Co Limerick.

Ms Morey's body was taken to University Hospital Limerick for a post-mortem examination.

Family members of Ms Morey paid tribute to her on social media, and said they were heartbroken at the news of her death.

Gardai said they encountered "a number of aggressive dogs" at the scene, one of which has since been put down.

Several others have been seized by the dog warden, one of which is understood to be an XL bully, though gardai are still ascertaining the precise breeds involved.

An investigation is underway at Roxboro Road Garda Station and the scene is being held for a technical examination.

Local councillor Brigid Teefy described the incident as "terrible".

"I was talking to people on the phone and everybody is horrified," she told the PA news agency.

"It's a horrific story. It's so rare that there's an occurrence like that."

Another councillor, Conor Sheehan, said the incident was "very, very tragic" and said that his sympathies go out to the woman's family.

Councillor Adam Teskey also sent his condolences, and said there is shock among locals. "This is a harrowing moment in our community," he said.

Rural Minister Heather Humphreys, who recently set up a group to examine dog control, said she was "appalled" by the "deeply shocking incident".

"I was appalled and sickened when I heard the news this morning about this young woman who was savagely killed by a dog, and my thoughts and my prayers are with her family."

In a statement, she said: "A Garda investigation is under way and it's important we establish the facts on what happened. "I have consistently said that more action is required in relation to dog control.

"That's why I have set up a cross-governmental stakeholder group, chaired by the retired deputy garda commissioner John Twomey, to examine this whole area."

She said she has asked the group to examine the restricted breeds list and whether Ireland should follow the example of the UK and Northern Ireland.

"If they recommend to me that we should ban a particular breed, I'm happy to do that. But I want to let them carry out their work because there's a number of different views and different approaches on this and I want to make sure we get it right."

There are several restricted breeds in Ireland, including German shepherds, rottweilers and various bull terriers, as well as some crosses.

Restricted dogs must be kept collared with their owner's information on a tag, muzzled in public and on a short, strong lead with someone over the age of 16 who is able to control them.

Asked when the working group's work will be completed, Ms Humphreys said they have held a number of meetings to date.

"I will be speaking with the chair again today to find out exactly what their current situation is but I know they've met on a number of occasions already and these would be issues that they'll be looking at," she said.