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Heroes: Hackensack Responders Rescue Dog Sitter Being Mauled While Protecting Child (Update)

A dog sitter who was being mauled while she tried to protect a small child was rescued by Hackensack's emergency responders, authorities said.

Screams for help brought Officers Ryan Conlon and Denisse Caero to the Hudson Street home shortly before 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10.     

Screams for help brought Officers Ryan Conlon and Denisse Caero to the Hudson Street home shortly before 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10.     

Photo Credit: Kyle Mazza for DAILY VOICE (file photo) / INSET: HPD

Screams for help brought Officers Ryan Conlon and Denisse Caero to the Hudson Street home shortly before 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10, said Capt. Michael Antista, the officer in charge of the department.

An American pit bull terrier had mauled two other dogs at the residence and had bitten the 40-year-old victim severely on both arms as she tried to intervene while holding tight to the youngster, responders said.

"There was a lot of blood," one of them said. "Some of the bites were down to the bone."

Conlon and Caero immediately got the child out of the way and the terrier into a room.

City firefighters cleaned what one of them called "gruesome wounds" to prevent infection, then wrapped them in medical bandages to control the bleeding and gave the woman oxygen until EMS arrived and took her to Hackensack University Medical Center.

The responders also cleaned up the child, who they said had been covered in the woman's blood.

Members of the Hackensack Police Emergency Services Unit helped representatives of the Bergen County Animal Control Shelter remove the dog, who was turned over to county Animal Control authorities, Antista said.

Members of the city health and building departments also assisted, the captain said.

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