Boy and mother injured in Rio Rancho dog attack

NEW MEXICO -- A 2-year-old boy was airlifted to University of New Mexico Hospital after two dogs attacked him and his mother in a Rio Rancho backyard, according to police.

When Rio Rancho police officers responded to a disturbance call on Nicklaus Drive on Saturday afternoon and heard a woman screaming, they scaled the wall and found two dogs attacking her.

They tried to distract the dogs but had to shoot them to stop the onslaught. KOAT-TV reported the dogs were killed.

“Once the attack stopped, officers found the female was lying over a small boy in an obvious attempt to shield him from the dog attack,” a police news release reads.

Police described the injuries to the mother, who was taken to UNMH by ambulance, and the 2-year-old as “substantial.” It’s unclear what condition they were in Saturday.

Another child, an 8 year old, had a minor injury, police said.

A Rio Rancho Police Department lieutenant did not respond to requests for more information Saturday.

The breed of the dogs was not released. A trail of bloody dog prints and spatters led from the door of the home to the curb Saturday afternoon.

Neighbor Jeanette Lopez said she heard about four shots around 3 p.m. while she was in her garage.

Another neighbor, 17-year-old Paris Jacquez, said she thought the dogs belonged to the family. They were large dogs, she said.

“They were kind of crazy dogs. Whenever I went outside they would bark at me. It was scary,” she said.

(Albuquerque Journal - Aug 16, 2014)