Dog lover forced to put down her two £3,600 St Bernards named Dave and Alan after they attacked her other pets amid fears they were from 'bad breeder'
- Rachel Adams, 59, of Oxford, left fearing for her life when dogs turned on her
A dog lover put down her two £3,600 St Bernard puppies when they turned on her leaving her fearing for her life.
Devastated Rachel Adams, 59, said she had 'no choice in the end' when her pets Dave and Alan attacked her twice - on one occasion slamming her to the ground, dragging her outside and ripping off her clothes.
She believes the normally gentle 110lb pooches had come from a 'bad breeder' and noticed the pair were antisocial with people and other animals when she first brought them back to her Oxford home in February 2022.
Mrs Adams was unable to use the hoover or invite her own grandchildren round because it was 'too dangerous.'
She said she desperately tried with her husband Paul, 53, for eight months to train Dave and Alan to change their behaviour and even 'dog-proofed' their home.
But if the dogs had got out there would have been a tragedy 'for anyone they came across', Mrs Adams feared.
She was unable to use the hoover or invite her own grandchildren round as it was too dangerous and ominously warned it would have ended in tragedy for someone if the pair got out
Rachel Adams, 59, and her new puppy. She said she was left with no choice in the end but have her two St Bernard dogs put down when they became aggressive towards her
Mrs Adams was left with scratch marks and bruising after she was suddenly attacked by the puppies and dragged outside
She said: 'We will never get over having to make that decision [to put them down]. We were both utterly devastated, but we had no choice in the end.
'Both attacks came from nowhere. It makes my blood run cold to think of them. But otherwise the boys were very loving with Paul and I.
'The situation had got worse and worse and worse - their world got smaller and smaller and as a consequence so did ours.'
The aggressive dogs became so afraid they ended up being too scared to leave a 10x10ft square patch.
Mr Adams missed a wedding because he had to keep Dave and Alan safe and the pair once attacked his four dogs.
The couple previously ran a rescue centre together and say they were used to handling large breeds, but the St Bernards' behaviour meant they couldn't take them out.
It was in October when Mrs Adams was first terrifyingly attacked by the duo. She had gone to get her breakfast when suddenly Dave and Alan launched at her, slamming her to the ground and biting at her.
They dragged her outside - ripping off her clothes - but Mrs Adams managed to fight them off with a metal bin and ran back into her home.
Mrs Adams and her husband Paul bought Dave and Alan for £3,600. The pair had previously run a rescue centre together and tried for eight months to change their behaviour
The couple noticed within two weeks of bringing them back to their Oxford home that the duo were antisocial towards people and other animals
The couple drove the pooches to the vets on the same day they had attacked Mrs Adams for a second time in which she says she was left fearing for her life
Mrs Adams believes the normally gentle 110 pound pooches had come from a 'bad breed' and said 'people have been knowingly breeding from aggressive dogs'
The aggressive dogs became so afraid they ended up being too scared to leave a 10x10ft square patch
She said: 'You can't predict fear aggression, they can be terrified of a new thing each day, that day it was me they feared.'
They kept trying for another month to change their ways, but a second attack hit which left her fearing for her life.
Fortunately, Mrs Adams managed to manoeuvre herself to the other side of a door and close it, and the pups were put down that afternoon.
She said: 'I honestly thought that second attack was going to be my end. It was so ferocious.
'It absolutely broke our hearts for Paul to drive them to the vet that afternoon, but we had no choice.
'It wasn't fair on them either. They could have had a beautiful life with us, but they were too scared to go anywhere or enjoy any of it, and we couldn't change that.'
Mrs Adams believes bad breeding is behind the problem.
She said: 'People have been knowingly breeding from aggressive dogs and that's unforgivable.
'St Bernards are usually loving gentle dogs.'
