Woman mauled to death by French bulldog mix

The rescue animal had been bred for dog fighting

A French bulldog puppy. The breed is the fourth most popular type of dog in the US according to the American Kennel Club (Getty)

An Illinois woman was mauled to death by a French bulldog-mix that she rescued from a shelter.

Police officers responding to the incident in suburban Chicago on Saturday afternoon described the scene as “gruesome”.

Lisa Urso was found unresponsive on the patio of her home. Ms Urso had been attacked inside the house, where there were signs of a struggle, but she had made it outside before succumbing to her injuries.

The Lake County Coroner’s Office confirmed her death was as a result of a dog attack.

Dr Howard Cooper told WGN that Ms Urso had recently adopted the dog and it had originally been bred for dog fights before being rescued.

There were bites on her legs, arms and torso, but not her neck. There was also a lot of scratching. “I hate to say it, but unfortunately it was a vicious attack,” said Dr Cooper.

Ms Urso’s boyfriend was not home at the time, but he had been attacked by the same dog on another occasion and had called animal control who took the dog away.

The dog was then reportedly retrieved by Ms Urso.

“You don’t really think about it happening with a smaller dog breed but we forget animals can be powerful,” Dr Cooper said. “This animal has a lot of jaw strength.”

Ms Urso had two other dogs — a second French bulldog that also had blood on it, and a border collie that did not.

The French bulldog is the fourth most popular breed of dog in the US according to the American Kennel Club.