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CHICAGO -- A far west suburban firefighter and paramedic who was found dead in her home died as a result of an attack by one of her own dogs, the Kane County sheriff’s office said Wednesday.
Dawn Brown, 44, of the 400 block of Jefferson Street in Big Rock, was found dead by her husband at the bottom of the stairs in her home Monday afternoon. The paramedics who responded were her co-workers.
"It's just heartbreaking," said neighbor Mark Hake. "We would see them walking their dogs through town. [They were] very nice people."
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Brown and her husband had three dogs: a mastiff, boxer and pit bull mix breed. It was the 140-pound mastiff who attacked her, officials said.
It's not known what provoked the animal to attack, but Kane County Animal Control now has all three dogs in their custody. The mastiff was new to the home and was given to the couple by a family member about a week ago.
Brown was a full-time firefighter/paramedic for the Bristol Kendal Fire Protection District and a part-time paramedic for the Big Rock Fire Protection District. Her colleagues at Big Rock were too distraught to speak publicly about Brown on Wednesday. Bunting hung around her photo at Station One, at 103 Beaver St. in Yorkville.
A memorial service has been scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m. in Big Rock.
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Ban dogs. If that will safe ONE life, it's worth it!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Peter:
What about Brian ?
why ban dogs? dogs have done nothing to deserve to be banned, it's all within how there raised and how there treated!
For everyone saying that a dog capable of killing someone should be illegal. Well then what about horses? They aqre more than capable of killing a person. This was just a tragic accident and not the fault of a dog not being suitable to be a pet. I have a 100 pound boxer and he is the nicest dog I have ever had. It isn't the breed of a dog that matters but how that dog is raised.
Most every dog is capable of an attack, although some are much more prone to it due to breed and how they are raised. In this one case, this dog was new to the home, the family, and the pecking order of the other dogs and the results were catastrophic. I feel sorry for her husband and her co-workers and all those whose lives she touched through her profession as firefighter and paramedic. I know she'll be missed.
Whenever you have more than two dogs, you create a pack. You need to be VERY careful in the mix of this pack. Introducing another dog into the household changes the 'pecking' order and who becomes the alpha. That being said they should have look for signs of aggression with this dog before adopting him.
I have two german shepherds and are WONDERFUL dogs. My 4 year old daughter adores them and I FULLY trust them around her when i'm not there. In fact they saved my wife's life a number of years ago from an intruder who broke into our house.
Pit bulls, Rottweilers, German Shepherds are stereotyped as a dog that will hurt you. They can, however with the right training and socialization they all can make wonderful pets.
I'm sorry that this woman was attacked like this, my thinking is that perhaps she got involved into a fight that the mastiff was in with one of the other dogs, maybe she tried to break it up. Needless to say this mastiff had some mental issue since even an accidental bite from a dog, the dog will back off and show remorse. There has to be something missing from this story..
Why do people have dogs that are Bigger and Stronger than they are?? What do people need to protect that a Magnum won't protect? And these big dogs leave so much crap in the back yard that you need a Bull Dozer to pick it up. And they eat as much as a lion.
She was in Chicago, the only people with a Magnum are the gang bangers.
those kinda of dogs r danmgeruos we had one it attack my son tryed to rip off my sons lips it was ungly attack i had to let animal control put her down no one needs that kind of breed
Eye no egsackly wat u meen......
if it attacked your son chances are your son provoked it no offense but mastiffs wouldn't harm a fly unless they felt threatened or have been abused. and to you putting the dog down you should feel horrible, just because your household wont the right place for that dog does not mean that it's a bad dog you could have found another home for her to be placed in
This is very sad :( Prayers go out to the family <3
Sam, my Newfoundland (Nana Dogs) was 150 lbs; the biggest wuss ever! He would hide behind me when we went on walks and I was 5' and 105 lbs! It's not the weight, it's the breed, it's what the dog was bred to do and whether or not the people who adopt them take the time and effort to not only understand but train themselves, the dog, and the rest of the family members. In addition to the Newfoundland we also had a half wolf and a Rottweiler...we trained them up as puppies. Even our Shih Tzu was well trained, they're one of the hardest breeds to train. Let's not talk about my teenage daughter though...I wish teenagers were as easy to handle as dogs.
Well you can kennel a naughty dog. The law frowns upon this if you do it to a naughty teen-ager (but maybe some of them need it?!)LOL
Just trying to do the right thing. God love you lady. RIP
My daughter has a "puppy" that is growing by leaps and bounds. He is a Rottweiler and friendly as can be; however, he is not grown, and he can knock a man down playing. Worry, worry.
Since the mastiff was with them for just a week that dog hasn't bonded to her nor her family. I think a dog that powerful and at that age makes a poor adoption choice. I know there may be exceptions but here is one case where the adoption hasn't worked.
I take it the dog didn't take to her, huh?
I was attacked by my Cairn Terrier last night, but only because he smelled the milkbone I had in my pocket for him. 140 pound dog? No Thanks.
always a sad story and sadly not the end of such stories
I wonder what type of mastiff this dog is. We own one, and she's a gentle giant. Even with the new kitten we got just a month ago, and always with our kids. She carefully lets the new cat share her bed, and she follows commands, even when the kids give them. The most dangerous thing about her is when she wags her tail - it can leave a bruise, she wags it so hard. I feel terrible for this family - what a tragedy.
I used to work with a mastiff in the office. She was the sweetest thing. She often hid under her 'mom's' desk until you coaxed her out with treats. Her giant tree trunk of a tail was definately the most scary thing about her, or when she'd sit on my feet while I was sitting in a chair, and lean her back on my legs so I had to scratch her. LOL She was a neat dog. Very loving. The only time she scared me was when she was napping at the top of the stairs. I came up, she was startled, and let out a big ol' sleepy bark. Just about made me wet my pants. I said 'Hey!' and she tucked her tail between her legs and whimpered. Haha! I gave her a pat on the head and that was the end of that. She was never aggressive towards guests.
those dogs are dangerous we had one the dog attack my son trying to rip of my sons lips blood very were we couldnt ply the dog off of him it was a ungly sceen the dog took half of the middle of his lip off we called the poiice for help animal control came then finally got the dog we had to go to the er thank god for the plastic surgeon to fix his lip cause the middle was gone by that dog we had animal control put her down no one needs a dog of that breed
If you are dumb enough to own a dog bigger than some full grown women, then it is your own dumb luck when it eats you.
Bikers use Mastiffs as protection/enforcers now, that should tell you something.
I'm sorry for this family's loss. My heart goes out. I am a fan of adopting dogs but I stick with puppies. I'm not willing to risk it with an older dog. This incident is one of the reasons why.
How is the person who gave her that dog going to live with themsleves for the rest of their life? Why was it gifted? Was it docile in it's previous environment? Please do me a real big favor & don't give me a damx thing. With friends like they she didn;t need any enemies !
Our sympathy to this woman's family. This story has touched me with its "one week" ending. So very sorry for all involved.
Terrible. Why does anyone need an attack dog, much less THREE attack type dogs? I agree with the people saying that the dog was probably trying to establish its authority in the pack - if you are going to have a dog bigger than a terrier, you need to establish up front that YOU are the alpha, anyone that you bring into the house is number two, and the dog is somewere down below. All well and good for them to guard against an intruder, but the owner and their friends are ALWAYS head of the pack. Otherwise, you are seting a trap that is just waiting for a time to spring.
How very sad! My condolences to the family!
Three big dogs like that will easily go into competition for "alpha leader of the pack". The mastiff being a new dog to the household may very well have challenged the woman as the "alpha leader of the pack". She may have known enough about dogs that she needed to establish herself as the leader. The mastiff didn't agree.
To each his own, but I will never understand why people feel a need to own dogs that could "take you or anyone else out", if they so choose.
How awful! Poor woman, poor husband, poor co-workers, and her family. What a terrible way to die!
I'll never understand what motivates people to keep giant and potentially dangerous inbread dogs as pets. At least with a poodle you can sling it into the neighbors yard if it turns on you.
I owned a large male Doberman, he attacked without being provoked. Next day he lost his balls, we got along great after that.
I'm wondering if the dog actually attacked her....I'm wondering if perhaps she fell down the stairs (the article says that's where she was found) and maybe the mastiff bit her? Or chewed on her? It's not uncommon for dead people to get eaten by their animals.