Kelly Reilly, a 33-year-old woman, tragically lost her life after being attacked by her pet dog at her home on Wexford Road, Coventry, England on Monday, July 22, 2024, at around 12:15 p.m.
Reilly was discovered unresponsive in her flat by her partner, Noel Spring, 50, who contacted emergency services. Paramedics arrived at the scene, and with police assistance, the woman was quickly taken out of the property for safety reasons. Despite the ambulance staff’s best efforts, they were unable to save the woman, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers seized the dog, which was understood to be a bull mastiff. It is not believed to be a banned breed, but a full assessment will be conducted to confirm this. West Midlands Police Chief Inspector David Amos said, “We recognize that this is a deeply upsetting and unfortunate event, and we appreciate the support from the local community and our emergency service partners who responded to the incident. Our condolences go out to the family and loved ones of the deceased woman, and we will be notifying the coroner of her death.”
Spring, who lives opposite the flat, had been in a relationship with Reilly for around a year. She stayed at his flat the night before the attack and returned home only to tidy up. Speaking from his flat, where he is now looking after two kittens Reilly recently rescued, Spring described her as “lovely, happy, and smiley. She would do anything for anyone, always helping people out.”
On the day of the incident, Reilly had planned to babysit her niece and wanted to clean her flat beforehand. Spring noted, “She left my flat, and about 15 minutes later, I went over to see her, and then I went back around 10-15 minutes afterward, and that was when I found her.” He added that the dog had been behaving normally earlier, saying, “There was no screaming, there was no dog barking or nothing, but she did suffer from seizures, so I don’t know if she went down and the dog attacked her. She was unresponsive.”
Ms. Reilly had a history of seizures, and her family believes she may have collapsed shortly before being set upon by the dog. Reilly had owned the dog for a couple of months, and there were no prior indications of aggressive behavior. “The dog was chasing the cats around the first time I went over; it was alright, it was playful,” Spring recalled.
Ms. Reilly had two children who no longer lived with her, and she was unemployed due to her health issues. She had required hospital treatment twice in recent months following seizures. Spring tearfully said, “We were planning to get married. She always walked around with a nice smile; she was happy-go-lucky.”
This tragic event is the fourth fatal dog attack in the UK this year. According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 16 deaths in 2023, up from six in 2022. Many recent deaths have involved the American XL bully breed, which has been added to the list of banned breeds in England and Wales. However, animal organizations, including the RSPCA and Blue Cross, argue that banning specific breeds does not improve public safety, pointing to the rising number of dog attacks despite breed bans.