California woman, toddler mauled by 3 pit bulls, police say

A 47-year-old California woman and her 3-year-old son were seriously injured Friday when they were mauled by three pit bull terriers they were looking after, the East Bay Times reported.

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According to a news release from the Vallejo Police Department, officers used pepper spray and had to physically separate the dogs from the victims, the newspaper reported.

"That was the worst thing I've ever seen in my life," neighbor Doris Hutcherson told KGO.

Hutcherson said she and her husband heard screams from the backyard next door to their house around 5:30 p.m., the television station reported.

"They (dogs) were trying to pull the baby away from her," Hutcherson told KGO. "And it seemed like she was trying to protect her baby with her body."

Related: Woman attacked, killed by own pit bull dogs outside animal hospital, police say

The child suffered multiple dog bites "to his face, upper torso and extremities, the East Bay Times reported, citing the report by the Vallejo police. He was listed in stable condition. The woman was also listed in stable condition. She was bitten on her head and arms, police said.

Steve Hutcherson told KGO he tried to distract the dogs by hitting a trash can with his golf club. His wife, meanwhile, called 911.

"By the time they got here, the dogs had dragged her to the other side of the fence," Doris Hutcherson told the television station.

The dogs will be quarantined for 10 days by animal control officials, KGO reported. Their fate is unknown, and the owner of the dogs could face possible charges.

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