Germans campaign to save Chico the dog after it killed owners

A Staffordshire terrier that mauled its owner and her son to death in Germany might not be put down after a public outcry.

The bodies of a woman named only as Lezime K, 52, and her son Liridon, 27, were found dead on the floor of their Hanover home last Tuesday.  Firefighters were called in to capture the dog who was still inside the residence, Hanover police said in a statement.

"Initial examinations by a coroner suggest the 52-year-old woman and her 27-year-old son were killed by the dog," it read.

According to Mail Online, members of the public launched an online petition to stop Chico from being killed, claiming city authorities' had failed to remove him from his owners - despite being a powerful dog, trained to fight.

City spokesman Udo Möller told the Guardian authorities were ready to admit they had made mistakes by failing to remove Chico from its owners, having recognised that they were overwhelmed by the dog.

Authorities were investigating the possibility of placing the animal in a secure facility for dogs with behavioural difficulties. 

SBS News reported that the dog had reportedly been bought eight years ago to protect the woman her from her ex-husband. He was due to be released from prison after he attacked her with an axe in 2005.

- additional reporting by AFP