A woman who was mauled to death by her XL Bully as she returned home from celebrating her 23rd birthday treated her dogs ‘like her babies' – with one of her relatives now warning that the animals are ‘bred to kill'.
Nicole Morey was set on by two of her four dogs – all understood to be restricted breeds – and left with catastrophic injuries, reportedly losing her arm in the savage attack.
Investigators have said Ms Morey was pounced on just before midnight on Tuesday, when she opened the door to her pets at the home she was renting in the rural Fedamore area of Limerick.
The harrowing incident was captured on CCTV, with a man Nicole knew reportedly having access to the footage on his phone and sending the 18-second clip to the victim's horrified family.
A source told the Irish Independent: ‘This woman's family were unaware of what had happened until one relative was sent the graphic video showing the attack.'
The man is also believed to have alerted emergency services, with paramedics rushing to the scene but unable to get to Ms Morey because of the danger the raging dogs posed.
Armed officers shot dead one of the dogs as they tried to get it off Ms Morey and took control of three others, reportedly subduing two with pepper spray.
Nicole Morey, 23, died after she was attacked by her pet in the Fedamore area of Limerick on Tuesday
XL Bully owner Nicole Morey was killed by her dog when she had just come in from a night out
All four dogs, understood to be two XL Bullies and two Staffordshire Bull Terriers, were described as being ‘extremely aggressive'.
Footage of the attack was also leaked online, with Gardaí urging the public not to share it.
Speaking from Spain where he was on holiday, Ms Morey's granduncle, Anthony O'Donnell, 58, said distressed family members telephoned him and delivered the shocking news.
‘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 Gardai got there, they (the dogs) were mauling her, the gardai 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.'
Mr O'Donnell said two young women who were staying in the same hotel as him in Spain told him his deceased grandniece was well known for posting photos of herself and the dogs on social media.
‘There's two young girls here and they know her and they said she used to treat them (the dogs) like babies,' he said.
‘They said she used to have Snapchats up and Facebook (posts) with the dogs inside in bed with her, that they were like her children.
‘I said to them this morning it just goes to show you can't trust dogs. You can't trust any dog, but especially those dogs they are bred to kill.'
Ms Morey often posted videos of her pets on social media
Nicole Morey was savaged by the dog at a house in Co. Limerick at around 11.40pm on Tuesday
It comes as heartbreaking videos emerged of her with her pets in happier times.
One TikTok video captioned ‘my boy' shows the owner dancing in her kitchen with her dog and laughing. The overlaying audio hauntingly plays: ‘This is my son, and I don't give a f*** if you think he looks aggressive.'
Posted in December, the footage with the audio continues: ‘I don't give a f*** if you don't like the look of him, and I certainly don't give a f*** if you think the breed should be banned.'
Other videos play a compilation of photos with Ms Morey beaming and hugging her dogs as they lay on her.
Another – posted with the hashtag ‘dogmum' – shows her doing a TikTok trend with two dogs, feeding them treats according to which one is ‘more protective' and ‘who is most likely to start an argument'.
Ms Morey previously shared pictures smiling alongside two of her pets. It is not clear if the animals were the ones involved in the attack.
Ms Morey's heartbroken sister Jolene led the tributes yesterday.
She said: ‘My heart is shattered once again on your birthday. I only hung up on you two seconds before, I really tried my best to help.
‘I'm so sorry Nicole. I love you so much. It feels like a bit of a bad dream.'
Ms Morey is pictured with two pets. It is not known if either of the dogs pictured were involved
Ms Morey had previously posted on a dog behaviour Facebook group seeking advice on how to control the animal.
She wrote: ‘When I go to put my XL on the lead for walks, he's freaking out, running to the door out of excitement.
‘But nearly too excited for us to even get the lead and collar on him.'
Reacting to the shocking news, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said she now favours banning certain breeds of dog in Ireland, including the XL Bully.
Currently no breeds are banned in Ireland, but there are restrictions on certain breeds – meaning owners must be over 16, the dogs must be muzzled in public, kept on strong leads or a chain and must wear collars at all times, containing the owners contact information.
Asked if she wanted to see an outright ban, Ms McEntee told RTÉ News At One: ‘Personally, I think there should be, yes.
‘Where a dog is known to be potentially vicious… where there is a pattern of particular dogs, then we do need to go further here.
‘This was in a person's home, so how do we protect people where they have dogs that are restricted, even within their own homes as well?
‘This review group is looking at all of the options here.
‘We need to ensure that nothing like this happens again, this is really, really devastating.'
Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, had already set up a cross Governmental stakeholder group, chaired by the retired Deputy Garda Commissioner John Twomey, to examine this whole area. She said that group's work is underway.
The 23-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene following the attack on Tuesday night
Nicole's sister Jolene posted on Facebook to pay tribute to her, saying: ‘My heart is shattered'
Ms Morey died at the scene of the attack despite the best efforts of paramedics who treated her there.
Her body was removed to University Hospital Limerick where a post-mortem exam was to be carried out.
Family friend, Fr Richard Davern, St Mary's parish, Limerick City, led prayers at St Mary's Church, Athlunkard, Limerick, in memory of the deceased.
‘We prayed for the poor woman at mass this morning, I buried her grandfather Pa O'Donnell only last February, they are a lovely family from St Mary's Park,' Fr Davern said.
The Limerick parish priest said the family were well known in community and sporting circles, and that Ms Morey's granduncle, Anthony O'Donnell, was awarded the title of Community Volunteer of the Year at the All-Ireland Community and Council Awards, held last March.
‘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 continued.
‘I spoke to one of her former school teachers 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.'
Gardai attached to the Scenes of Crime Unit combed areas outside and inside the house yesterday.
Local Gardai had sealed off an entrance gate at the house as well as access to a boreen running alongside the property.
The large 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 idyllic rural hinterland which was plunged into a nightmare also expressed their ‘shock'.
Gardai 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.
Local councillor Brigit Teefy described the incident as ‘terrible'.
‘I was talking to people on the phone and everybody is horrified,' she told the PA news agency.
‘It's a horrific story. It's so rare that there's an occurrence like that.'
Councillor Conor Sheehan said the incident was ‘very, very tragic' and that his sympathies go out to the woman's family.
Councillor Adam Teskey said there was shock among locals and said his sympathies are with the family of the woman.
‘This is a harrowing moment in our community,' he said.
There are several restricted breeds in Ireland, including German shepherds, rottweilers and various bull terriers, as well as some crosses.
Restricted dogs must be kept collared with their owner's information on a tag, muzzled in public and on a short, strong lead with someone over the age of 16 who is able to control them.
A Gardai spokesperon said: ‘At approximately 11.40pm last night, Tuesday 4th June 2024, Gardaí received report and attended an incident where a woman (23) was fatally injured following a dog attack at a domestic residence in Ballyneety, Co. Limerick.
‘The woman was pronounced deceased at the scene by medical personnel.'
They added: ‘Her body has been removed from the scene to Mid Western Regional Hospital, Limerick, where a Post Mortem examination will take place.
Injuries and deaths after attacks by XL bully-type dogs
Jonathan Halstead, 35
Jonathan Halstead, 35 – January 29, 2020
Jonathan died from a severe neck injury and bites after being attacked in his home in Oldham, Greater Manchester by his pet Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bronson.
It is believed the dog attacked him when its owner suffered an epileptic fit.
Jack Lis, 10
Jack Lis, 10 – November 8, 2021
Schoolboy Jack Lis, ten, suffered catastrophic injuries after being mauled by an American XL bully dog called Beast while visiting a friend's home in Penyrheol in Caerphilly, Wales on November 8, 2021.
Neighbours and Welsh Ambulance Service paramedics desperately tried to save him but he died at the scene. Armed police destroyed the dog on site.
Adam Watts, 55
Adam Watts, 55 – December 22, 2021
Adam Watts, 55, was attacked at the Juniper Kennels and Cattery in Kirkton of Auchterhouse, near Dundee, and was pronounced dead at the scene on December 22, 2021.
MARCH 21, 2022: Undated family handout photo issued by Merseyside Police of Bella-Rae Birch
Bella-Rae Birch, 17 months – March 21, 2022
Toddler Bella-Rae Birch was attacked by her family's pet American bully XL dog when she was just 17 months old.
The vicious dog snatched the child out of her mother's arms while they were at their home in Blackbrook, St Helens, Merseyside, on March 21 last year.
Keven Jones, 62
Keven Jones, 62 – May 28, 2022
Keven Jones died after he was attacked by an American Bully XL dog in Wrexham, Wales on May 28 last year.
Ambulance workers attempted to save him but they were unable to stop his left leg bleeding.
Mr Jones was then pronounced dead at his son's house following the attack.
Joanne Robinson, 43
Joanne Robinson, 43 – July 15, 2022
Mother-of-two Joanne Robinson, 43, was killed by her American bully XL dog, Rocco, after it ‘turned mad in the extreme heat' in July last year.
She died at the scene of the attack at home in Rotherham, South Yorkshire while her partner, Jamie Stead, was left with injuries to his hands, stomach and face as he tried to pull the animal off her.
Joanne's mother Dot, of Wath-upon-Dearne, South Yorkshire, revealed at the time that Rocco had previously fought with their other dog Lola – and she had warned her daughter to ‘get rid of one of them'.
Ian ‘Wiggy' Symes, 34
Ian Symes, 34 – August 2022
Ian ‘Wiggy' Symes, 34, who is understood to have been walking a bully XL dog himself at a recreation ground in Fareham, Hampshire, died at the scene following a horrific dog attack in August 2022.
His devastated family said he was ‘doing something he loved' when he died in the field in Fareham, Hampshire.
Ann Dunn, 65
Ann Dunn, 65 – October 3, 2022
Ann Dunn, 65, was found collapsed with ‘catastrophic injuries' at her Liverpool home she shared with seven dogs on October 3 last year.
She was mauled to death by dogs including an American bully XL – and had been sent to hospital a year before her death because she had been bitten by a dog.
Shirley Patrick, 83
Shirley Patrick, 83 – December 3, 2022
Widowed grandmother Shirley Patrick, 83, died after being viciously mauled by an XL bully in her own home.
The retired nurse died in hospital 17 days after suffering ‘life-threatening injuries' during the ‘hellish' and ‘violent' dog attack in Caerphilly, South Wales on December 3 last year.
Jonathan Hogg, 37
Jonathan Hogg, 37 – May 18, 2023
Jonathan Hogg, 37, was mauled to death by an American XL bully dog when it turned on him while he was looking after it for a friend.
He entered the pen when it went for him, leaving bite wounds on his arm, leg and head, an inquest heard.
He was rushed to hospital but died of his injuries after the mauling in Leigh, Greater Manchester, on May 18 this year.
Ian Price, 52
Ian Price, 52 – September 14, 2023
On Thursday, September 14, ‘pillar of the community' Ian Price, 52, was attacked and killed by two ‘devil' XL bully dogs after they jumped out of his neighbour's window in Stonnall, Staffordshire.
Mr Price was attacked and killed by the two dogs which jumped out of a neighbour's window yards from a primary school. He reportedly died defending his elderly mother from the animals.
The dogs bit him and ripped the clothes from his body leaving him dying in a pool of blood in his boxer shorts in the horror attack just feet from his home.
Ian Langley, 54
Ian Langley, 54 – October 3, 2023
Ian Langley, 54, was set upon on the estate in Sunderland on October 3 this year by an enormous XL bully dog which grabbed him by the neck as he bent down to pick up his Patterdale terrier pup.
The attack left Mr Langley needing CPR for around 15 minutes as emergency services fought to stop heavy bleeding from his wounds. He died from his injuries.
