A 39-year-old woman has died after being savagely attacked by her own pet dog in South Australia, a canine with a long history of aggressive behaviour that loved ones had begged her to rehome.
A History of Violence Ignored
Christine Kulis, also known as Chrissy Kay Potter on social media, was fatally mauled by her pit bull-mastiff cross on Thursday at her home in Whyalla, a city located roughly 400 kilometres from Adelaide. The dog was later euthanised by authorities.
In the wake of the tragedy, Ms Kulis's mother, Meredith Howe, revealed to the Daily Mail that she had repeatedly urged her daughter to have the animal put down. "I told her she should have had that dog put down, but Christine didn't want to," Mrs Howe stated. This sentiment was echoed by close friend Alison Erskine, who described the dog as "mental" and "mad".
Ms Erskine disclosed a prior, severe incident just months earlier where the same dog ripped the flesh from Ms Kulis's arm, severing tendons. "They flew her to Adelaide and she stayed in hospital. When she came back to Whyalla she wasn't the same person - she was so thin and withdrawn," she recounted.
Neighbours Lived in Fear
The dog's aggressive reputation extended well beyond the family home, terrorising the local neighbourhood. One neighbour, who was friends with Ms Kulis, admitted she would avoid walking her own dogs past the couple's property for fear of an attack. "I told her she should get rid of him because of her health - that she should think about her own health instead of the animal's," the neighbour said.
Other residents reported the animal had been seen "foaming at the mouth" near children and was "covered in scars". It is believed the dangerous dog had been reported to the Whyalla City Council on multiple occasions.
CCTV footage obtained by the Daily Mail illustrated the ongoing tensions. One clip showed Ms Kulis and her fiancé of ten years, Arlan Potter, in a physical confrontation with a neighbour after their dog allegedly attacked a cat. In separate footage, a brown and white pit bull-mastiff cross, believed to be the same dog, was seen violently hurling itself at a neighbour's fence before being restrained.
A Tragic Outcome
Ms Erskine described the grim scene on Thursday evening when she arrived at the couple's home. She found Mr Potter "covered in blood" outside, speaking with police. "He told me the dog attacked Chrissy. Police told me to move on so I shouted at Potter to tell Chrissy I would see her at the hospital," Ms Erskine said. "But then I found out that she had died."
The couple, who owned and bred several dogs, are understood to have bred the fatal attacker from another of their pets. Many in the community expressed a grim lack of surprise that the animal eventually turned on its owner, culminating in a loss that warnings had tragically predicted.
