A dad-of-three was tragically mauled to death by his pet Staffordshire bull terrier-pitbull cross as he was sleeping in his room.

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45-year-old Stephen Hodgson had been drinking heavily before he passed out in his home in Cumbria. In a totally unprovoked attack, their pet dog Buster burst into the bedroom and bit down on the dad’s neck.

His 17-year-old daughter, Carla Hodgson and sister Jade, 19, attempted to grab the dog by his hind legs. They eventually pulled him away and locked him in another bedroom of the house, before calling the emergency services.

The girls tragically put sheets over Hodgson’s head in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but unfortunately it was too late. When the ambulance arrived he was pronounced dead at the scene.

And if that weren’t bad enough, the dog Buster was killed after taking a hit from a taser gun, which the police felt they had to deploy as he would not calm down. Three other dogs who were in the house, including another Staff bull terrier-pitbull cross and two older Staff bull terriers were taken away.

The sisters told how their dad had passed out in their room after drinking heavily that night. They eventually managed to lift their father onto the bed while the dog Buster had leaned over to sniff him. After letting the dog out, he then barged back into the bedroom, dragged Hodgson to the floor and bit down on his neck.

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During the court case, the girls mentioned that the dad had done nothing to aggravate the dog and that it was “just a normal day.” The attack was completely unprovoked, however they did mention that their dog had bitten Hodgson a couple of times before, one of which needed hospital treatment. Pretty clear warning signs there: if your dog is attacking you, it clearly doesn’t like you. It’s sad that this incident could have been prevented – you’ve got to feel for the daughters.

Staffs and pitbulls can be pretty savage animals when they’re not brought up right – just check out this horrific video of one brutally attacking a Beagle puppy. Poor thing looked terrified.