A San Jose animal control officer found herself in a situation Tuesday morning that could have been her last house call.
The officer was trying to wrangle two large bulldogs that had escaped the back yard of a San Jose home and made their way over to a neighbor's house. The two dogs, estimated to be at least 80 pounds each, turned on the officer and started attacking.
The aggressive dogs mauled the officer, biting her arms, legs, hips and buttocks. One of them took a chunk from the officer's arm, fire Capt. Barry Stallard said.
"She was fighting them, kicking them, trying to fight them with her baton," Stallard said.
Police fired shots at the dogs -- 11 rounds in all. One of the dogs was killed, the other was injured. The animal control officer was taken to a hospital and will undergo surgery.
City records show six previous complaints against the owner of the two bulldogs.
As brutal as it is, the story could have had a much more tragic ending. Two children were inside the house where the two dogs had wandered. The homeowner, who was about to serve breakfast to the 8-year-old and 6-year-old says he usually leaves the sliding glass door open.
"Those dogs were jumping against the sliding door." Stallard said. "Those kids would have been torn to pieces."
Bay City News contributed to this report.
