Jake Massey
A woman in the US stabbed her family's pet dog to death after it attacked her daughter. Watch here:
The nightmare unfolded on Sunday (24 April) after the two blue nose pitbulls - which were normally kept outside - were allowed into the home in Pico Rivera, California, for a bath.
But seemingly out of nowhere, they set upon one-year-old Ruby Ann Cervantes and began mauling her.
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Ruby's mum, aunt and grandma desperately tried to free her, sustaining bite wounds in the process, but were unable to pry away the three-year-old dogs after several minutes.
Fearing for her daughter's life, mother Jamie Morales picked up a kitchen knife and began stabbing the pets.
One of the dogs died at the scene, while the other sustained stab wounds but survived.
"It was either him or my daughter, so I chose my daughter," Jamie told NBC4, concealing her face due to the bite wounds she had sustained.
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"I did whatever I had to do to protect my daughter, because he wouldn't let go of my daughter, so I had to. I feel really bad, but I had to. I'm pretty sure anyone would have done it.
"I thought my daughter was going to die."
Ruby was rushed to LAC + USC Medical Center, having sustained bite injuries to her legs, ankles and shoulder, and underwent surgery.
Doctors told the family she will be placed in ICU following a second surgery for a hip fracture.
Speaking to FOX11 following the attack, Ruby's grandma Margaret Morales - who owns the pitbulls - said: "He had my granddaughter by the leg and when I tried to pull him off he bit my hand.
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"The dog got her in the leg, her ankle and shoulder. Right now she's at LAUSC hospital and from there she's going to go to the ICU. She's strong."
She added: "The dogs are good dogs. We just had them bathed yesterday. I was asleep and my daughter heard the commotion."
Margaret has owned the dogs since they were puppies, and got them from the same litter. They had never shown signs of aggression towards Ruby before.
The surviving dog was taken by animal control and the family said it will be euthanised.
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This news comes just a month after a toddler from Merseyside was mauled to death by the family's pet dog, who'd they'd only owned for a week.
The dog, which was an American Bully XL, was handed over to police shortly after the incident and was humanely euthanised, ITV News reported.