A woman has died after a dog attack in Co Limerick.
Nicole Morey (23), originally from Limerick City, died near her house in Ballyneety in the early hours of Wednesday after being mauled by at least one dog.
Armed gardaí responded to the house shortly before midnight Tuesday, and upon encountering a number of aggressive dogs, they destroyed one and restrained three more. It was suspected that one or all of the dogs were on a restricted dog breeding list that requires dogs on that list to be muzzled.
Locals say Ms Morey was attacked by at least one of her own dogs, understood to be an XL bully, a large version of an American pit bull.
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Ms Morey died at the scene despite the best efforts of paramedics who treated her there. Her body was removed to University Hospital Limerick where a postmortem was to be carried out.
A post on rip.ie said her death was “very deeply regretted by her mother Lisa, father Patrick, stepparents Joseph and Nicola, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents Gerry Morey and Teresa O’Donnell, cousins, other relatives and her many friends”.
Her sister Jolene posted on Facebook: “My heart is shattered once again on your birthday. I only hung up on you 2 seconds before I really tried my best to help. I’m so sorry Nicole I love you so much it feels like a bad dream.”
Ms Morey’s granduncle, Anthony O’Donnell (58), said distressed family members telephoned him and delivered the news.
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“She was out for her birthday, she was 23, and, she went home, opened the hall door to go in home when the dog attacked her, jumped out on top of her and attacked her,” Mr O’Donnell said.
“By the time the gardaí got there, they (the dogs) were mauling her, the gardaí couldn’t really get them off of her, they had to shoot the dog to get him off of her, that’s what I’m hearing from family members that are ringing me,” he said.
Paying tribute, Mr O’Donnell described his grandniece as “a lovely girl, with a great heart, would do you a good turn rather than any turn”.
“She was a decent girl, quiet, she kept to herself.”
Family friend Fr Richard Davern led prayers at St Mary’s Church, Athlunkard Street, Limerick, in memory of the deceased.
“There are no words to really describe the absolute horror of this. God love them,” Fr Davern said.
“Everyone is just shocked, it’s horrific, absolutely horrific,” he said. “I spoke to one of her former schoolteachers this morning and they said (Nicole) had a lovely personality.
“They said she had ambitions to go back to college and train as a SNA (Special Needs Assistant) and into education, so she had ambitions, the poor girl, God love her, and God love all the first responders and emergency services worker who came upon it and have to deal with the fallout of it.”
Gardaí attached to the Garda Scenes of Crime Unit combed areas outside and inside the house on Wednesday.
Local gardaí had sealed off an entrance gate at the house as well as access to a lane running alongside the property.
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The two-storey house located on a country road between the villages of Ballyneety and Fedamore, is situated about 18km from Limerick City.
Locals in the rural hinterland also expressed their “shock”.
Gardaí issued a media alert asking people not to engage in sharing a video-linked to the fatal incident with others online.
“An Garda Síochána is aware of footage of this incident in circulation and out of respect for the deceased, would ask the public and the media not to share these videos,” read a notice from the Garda Press Office.
Family and friends said they were planning an event in Limerick on Thursday night where purple and yellow balloons would be released in Ms Morey’s memory.
Several hours before the fatal dog attack on Ms Morey, gardaí had issued local media in Limerick with an alert about dog attacks and highlighted how a nine-year-old boy received “facial injuries” in a dog attack in Limerick City on May 29th.
In that advisory notice to the media, Sgt Ber Leetch, Crime Prevention Officer, Henry Street Garda station warned people to “protect your dog but also protect any people it may come in contact with”.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Roxboro Road Garda station on (061) 214 340, the Garda Confidential line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.
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