EXCLUSIVE PHOTO: The apartment where 'killer' pit bulls who savagely mauled a man to within an inch of his life live in squalor with their owner 'who ordered them to attack'
- WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT
- The apartment where the two pit bulls who savagely mauled a man in the Bronx on Friday live with their owner has been revealed in a new photo
- Cynthia Oliver and her two dogs live in squalor in a studio apartment with trash on the floor and a dirty bed that does not have a sheet
- There is little else inside the sparsely furnished space
- Oliver will appear in criminal court Tuesday on charges of assault and endangerment after police say she ordered her dogs to attack on Friday
- Francesco Bove, 62, was left with a shredded ear, 'two big chunks missing' from both his arms and multiple lacerations after the incident
- Bove had his second operation on Monday and seemed in good spirits in a photo shared by his son Anthony on Facebook
The two pit bulls who savagely attacked a man in the Bronx live in a studio apartment with their owner that is covered in trash.
A photograph taken of the residence shows a dirty bed with no sheets, newspapers scattered around the floor, and a woman who appears to be owner Cynthia Oliver with the animals.
There is little else inside, with just a single stool, small table, bureau, fan and two mismatched curtains in the tiny space.
Oliver, 55, is set to make her first appearance in criminal court Tuesday charged with eight counts of assault and two counts of reckless endangerment after police claim she let the dogs off their leashes and ordered them to attack Francesco Bove on Friday.
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Mess: The apartment where the two pit bulls who savagely mauled a man in the Bronx on Friday live with their owner Cynthia Oliver has been revealed (above)
Improving: Francesco Bove was left with a shredded ear, 'two big chunks missing' from both his arms and multiple lacerations, receiving a second operation on Monday (above post-surgery with daughter-in-law Ambra)
Bove, 62, was mauled to within inches of his life and was left with a shredded ear, 'two big chunks missing' from both his arms as well as multiple lacerations to his legs and chest and potential nerve damage after the attack.
He is currently recovering at St. Barnabas Hospital where he must be fed by staff and members of his family as he still cannot move his arms.
Horrible: Police claim Oliver (mugshot above) took the dogs off their leashes and ordered them to attack Bove
His son Anthony shared a photo on Monday of his sister Ambra feeding their father as he recovered from surgery, writing; 'Second operation done and a bit of pasta with bolognese from home. He's still in a lot of pain but the hospital is keeping him very well medicated so its manageable. My father is a Gladiator.'
It is vast improvement from last week when Anthony said his father's fate appeared grim after arriving at the hospital.
'I got to the hospital and he was in pieces. Those dogs, they were trained to fight,' he said, adding that the dogs were even licking up his father's blood from the street.
'The pit bull is not an inherently evil dog. But...these pit bulls might have been trained as guard or attack dogs. He remembers the dogs licking his blood off the ground. They wanted to finish the job. That's very disturbing to him.
'My father joked, "If those were two lions, I wouldn't have made it." He's a really tough guy.'
The attack did not seem to surprise people in the area, including Oliver's neighbor Christina Salgado who said the pit bulls had a 'horrible reputation' and killed three dogs earlier in the summer.
Salgado, who witnessed the shocking incident, told the New York Daily News: 'She feeds those dogs raw meat. They tore a dog apart right here. One grabbed from the front and one was in the back. They tore it into pieces. They run wild in the streets.'
In the horrifying two minute ordeal - which was captured on video - the pit bulls are seen clamping onto Bove's arms with their jaws, shaking their heads violently, and then dragging him several feet toward the curb.
Screams and shouting can be heard in the disturbing footage, including a call for someone to 'get the water'.
One man, later identified as 46-year-old Emilio Ortiz, was seen trying to get the dogs off Bove by holding them back with their leashes, but he was soon knocked to the ground as well.
Neighbors rushed to help both men, whipping the dogs and blasting them with water.
Rene Norris, the woman who filmed the attack, was heard speaking to emergency services on the video.
'They're attacking a man,' she said. 'He's in the street bleeding. I'm upstairs watching this out [of] my window.'
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Awful scene: Bystanders did everything they could to get the animals off Bove, including spraying them with water (above)
Aftermath: Bove was first to get up from a pile of his own blood after the attack (above)
The Rev. Jonathan Morris of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church tore off his shirt to stop the bleeding from Bove's numerous wounds on his arms and head after the terrifying attack.
'He was dying. Blood was all over his face. He was passing out,' said Rev. Morris.
'He said, "I see stars, tell me what I should do?" I told him "I'll give you last rites as long as you promise to fight.'
Morris recalled rushing the bloodied victim into the church to escape the wild beasts.
'It was like a pack of wolves. The dogs were looking for blood,' said Morris.
Bove, an artist, had been at the church to discuss restoring their marble facade.
The two pit bulls meanwhile have been taken to Animal Care and Control.
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