A dog owner devastated by her Rottweilers says she will never stop loving them after they were euthanized in the aftermath of the vicious attack.
Nikita Piil, 31, almost died when her two dogs, Harlem and Bronx, mauled her at her Success home, in Perth’s southern suburbs, on September 16.
Her family later said she was trying to calm the dogs down after an incident nearby, when she was unfortunately caught in the crossfire and attacked herself.
Ms Piil was taken to hospital with serious injuries to her arm, legs and head injuries and has since undergone at least five life-saving operations.
During the attack, police were forced to shoot Bronx after failed attempts to distract and Taser the dog. He was later euthanized by veterinarians.
About six weeks later, she was asked to turn Harlem over to the City of Cockburn Animal Shelter so he could be put down.
Ms Piil has never spoken publicly about the attack, but it can now be revealed that she has quietly turned her social media bios into tributes to her beloved pets.
Nikita Piil (pictured) almost died after being mauled by her own Rottweilers in Perth
Ms Piil (pictured in hospital) almost lost her arm and has undergone at least five life-saving operations
“My existence is forever changed, irrevocably changed by your absence, I am broken. Harlem & Bronx,” she wrote on Facebook.
She said on Instagram: ‘No words can accurately express the torment that engulfs my heart.
“Harlem & Bronx – you made life worth living. I will never stop loving you.”
She posted a wilted rose emoji in both posts.
Ms. Piil only surrendered Harlem to the council because she was given an ultimatum: she could either comply with the state’s requirements for dangerous dogs or he would be put down.
To preserve Harlem, she would have had to keep him in an escape and childproof area, post “dangerous dog” signs at property entry points, and require him to be on a leash and muzzle at all times in public areas.
On October 25, the council confirmed that Harlem had been humanely euthanized.
Police were alerted to the attack at around 4.45pm on the day of the attack by neighbors who heard Ms Piil’s screams.
Nikita Piil quietly changed her Facebook profile with a tribute to her dogs (photo)
Ms Piil turned her Instagram bio into a tribute to her dogs (photo)
One neighbor, Bryn Spencer, said he and another person tried to intervene but were unable to enter Ms Piil’s backyard without endangering themselves.
“I heard ‘help, help, please help!'” Spencer told Nine News
‘I considered jumping the fence and going in to save her, but there were clearly two Rottweilers in there.
“I didn’t have a knife, I didn’t have anything really good to take out this dog.
‘I only had a bat. All I could do was watch this girl get mauled while I was punching the fence.”
Another neighbor pointed a hose at one of the dogs, distracting it for a moment.
“The dog stopped for a moment and looked at me to decide what to do next,” Mr Spencer said.
“I kept yelling at it and hitting the fence, and then the thing decided, ‘get over it,’ and it got the girl and dragged her behind the back corner.”
Ms. Piil’s oldest dog, Bronx, was shot by police during the attack, while her youngest, Harlem, was euthanized (Harlem and Bronx photo)
Nikita Piil (pictured) was attacked on September 16 and both her dogs were put down
Mr. Piil’s family revealed in a GoFundMe post she almost died during her operations.
“The coming rehabilitation process will be painful, long and expensive,” they said.
“We almost lost our precious girl a few times… but as you all know, Nikita is our little fighter.”
The City of Cockburn had previously received complaints from neighbors about the Rottweilers’ excessive barking, but there had been no reports of attacks before September 16.
Ms Piil loved Rottweilers and was part of several breed-specific groups on Facebook prior to the attack.
She once described Bronx as her “whole world – loyal, intelligent and protective.”