BANGKOK: An 18-year-old was mauled to death by two American Bully dogs at his home in Lopburi's Muang district.
The victim, Adisak Chansakunnee, was the younger brother of the dogs' owner.
Singapore's Straits Times reported that the Tha Hin police station was notified about the incident on Aug 31, discovering Adisak's body on the ground floor of the house.
According to a doctor's estimate, the body had been there for approximately 12 hours before it was found.
Adisak's brother and owner of the dogs, Apisit Chansakunnee, was a policeman.
Apisit had raised the dogs, named Fino and Tesla, in Bangkok but had moved to their home in Lopburi, about 150km northeast of the Thai capital, just a week earlier to care for his mother.
Also present in the house was Tank Gas, the mother of the two dogs. She was found with a leg injury, which Apisit later explained was sustained while attempting to protect Adisak from the attack by her offspring.
After relocating to Lopburi, Apisit had been keeping all three dogs locked together in his bedroom on the second floor.
Security camera footage revealed that Adisak, who was alone at home on the evening of Aug 30, went upstairs to his brother's bedroom to play with the dogs.
The video shows the dogs attacking him before he fled downstairs, where he ultimately died due to his injuries.
Apisit had asked his brother to feed the dogs while he was at work, and Adisak had begun to bond with them.
However, Apisit believes his brother may have tried to play with the young dogs without understanding how to do so safely.
He also speculated that the dogs may have been stressed due to his absence from the house.
Tank Gas and her two offspring have been put up for adoption according to Apisit.
A Facebook post by the Watchdog Thailand Foundation (WDT), seeking new homes for the three American bully dogs, sparked outrage among netizens once it was revealed that these were the dogs involved in Adisak's death.
WDT posted the adoption notice on Aug 31, shortly after the teenager's death was reported.
The initial post stated that the owner's family was devastated and uncertain about what to do, leading them to decide to rehome the dogs with someone who would care for them and not use them for commercial purposes.
The post, however, did not mention the incident.
Many social media users argued that the dogs should be euthanised, as they had attacked a human and were now seen as dangerous.
Apisit mentioned that some dog lovers had already expressed interest in adopting the dogs, but he had not yet selected a suitable new owner.
The American Bully breed has a history of involvement in fatal incidents, one of which led to the breed being banned in the United Kingdom in 2023.
The breed, which includes Pitbulls, American Staffordshire Terriers, and English Bull Terriers, is also banned in Singapore, according to the National Parks Board's Animal and Veterinary Service.
Just over a month ago, on July 24, three other American Bully dogs fatally attacked a 70-year-old man in front of a house in Khon Kaen province, northeast Thailand, according to Thai daily Khaosod.
Those dogs were also put up for adoption.