New York Grandmother, 67, Mauled to Death by Her Dogs: 'Nothing Short of a Nightmare'

A judge will decide what happens to the two animals

Photo: Getty

A New York woman died after allegedly being mauled by her pet dogs, police said.

According to a press release from the New York State Police, Arlene Renna’s husband found her unconscious on the floor of her living room after he arrived home on Saturday afternoon. Police and emergency medical services arrived at the residence, but Renna, 67, died at scene from her injuries.

Police determined the “wounds and circumstances were consistent with a dog attack,” and added that Renna kept two coonhounds as pets and “no one else was home at the time of the attack.”

After Renna’s death, both dogs were taken by the Dutchess County SCPA and a judge will decide what happens to them. Police said their investigation “did not reveal any indications of foul play.”

There are multiple breeds of coonhounds, according to the American Kennel Club, but the hunting dogs are generally “tenacious” while hunting their prey, and “even-tempered” and “mellow” when off the trail.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Renna’s ex-husband John Taylor wrote his “high school sweetheart” had “died accidentally at home” on Saturday, the same day as their daughter Jillian’s 31st birthday.

“It is nothing short of a nightmare,” Taylor wrote. “Arlene was the kindest, most gentle, giving and wonderful woman, there was no better mother, no better grandmother.”

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According to Taylor, Renna previously worked as a nurse, as a volunteer for non-profit parenting education service The Center for Parents and Children, and as a social worker “helping families in crisis.”

Renna had three children and one grandchild with Taylor before they split after 21 years of marriage. She later remarried.

“Everything she did she did for others,” Taylor wrote, adding, “People like Arlene can never be replaced, they can only live in our hearts forever, and we should all learn by their example to be better people, to try to be more like them.”