Firefighter-Paramedic Killed By Own Dog [Video]

A suburban Chicago firefighter and paramedic was found dead in her home, the result of an attack by one of her own dogs, the Kane County sheriff’s office said.

Forty-four-year-old Dawn Brown, who lived on the 400 block of Jefferson Street in the suburb of Big Rock, was found by her husband at the bottom of the stairs in their home Monday afternoon.

The paramedics who responded to the scene were Brown’s co-workers.

Neighbor Mark Hake said, “It’s just heartbreaking. We would see them walking their dogs through town. [They were] very nice people.”

Brown and her husband had three dogs: a boxer, a pit bull mix breed, and a mastiff. It was the 140-pound mastiff that attacked her, officials said.

Why the dog attacked Brown is not known, but Kane County Animal Control has taken all three dogs into their custody. The mastiff was given to the couple by a family member about a week ago.

Lt. Pat Gengler told the Chicago Sun Times it took four police officers to get the dog under control. It was “all muscle, very intimidating,” he said.

“We processed the scene and waited for the autopsy. It came back that the injuries, the bite marks, were definitely from the mastiff. His jaws are so much bigger than the other dogs,'” he said.

Dawn Brown was a full-time firefighter and paramedic for the Bristol Kendal Fire Protection District. She was also a part-time paramedic for the Big Rock Fire Protection District. Colleagues were too distraught to speak about her death publicly Wednesday.

Bunting was hung around her photo at Station One in Yorkville, Illinois.

A memorial service is being scheduled for Saturday at 11 am in Big Rock.