The South Albury woman, 64, was flown by air ambulance to St Vincent’s Hospital yesterday morning after having her thumb severed by Axl, a Neapolitan mastiff, on Thursday night.

Her son, 37, had already been admitted to the same hospital after having been bitten on the hand and needing plastic surgery.

The mother was undergoing an operation in St Vincent’s last night.

Axl’s fate remains unclear with Albury Council ranger Darren McFarlane saying it would be up to the owner, who is the son’s girlfriend, to decide.

Mr McFarlane, speaking alongside Axl at the Albury pound yesterday, said the dog was “a victim of circumstance”.

Despite encouragement, Axl did not move from the bed in his cage, and when put on a leash and brought outside the cage, did not respond when other dogs barked at him or when a camera flash went off in his face.

Mr McFarlane believed the dog had “no aggressive motives in it”.

It is believed that the mother had intervened in a fight between Axl and another dog, also a male, which was not desexed.

Mr McFarlane said if people wanted to separate fighting dogs they should use a bucket of water, a hose, or another implement which ensured distance, and if grabbing a fighting dog they should do so from behind, never by the neck.

“I’ve been doing this for 17 years and I know an aggressive dog and he certainly is not, he just reverted back to animal pack nature,” he said.

“He has shown no aggression at all towards us last night or today.”

Although a neighbour of the mother and son said he had contacted the council the day after the first dog attack, Mr McFarlane said there was no record of any call.

He said the owners could have taken the dog to the pound or vet to have it put down after the first attack.

“It’s not a council issue because the dog hasn’t attacked a third party.”