6-Year-Old Oregon Boy on Way to School Is Mauled to Death by 2 Dogs

"To have this happen just weeks before Christmas is unimaginable," an officer said outside the family's home

A 6-year-old Oregon boy was mauled to death by two dogs while he was reportedly getting ready for school on Tuesday, and the dogs’ owner was taken to the hospital after desperately trying to stop the attack.

The Portland Police Bureau said in a news release that the boy was pronounced dead at the scene by the time officers responded to the house on the city's northeast side. The woman who owned the dogs was injured and later taken to the hospital for treatment, the bureau said.

“The dogs, believed to be Great Dane-Mastiff mixes, are in the custody of Multnomah County Animal Services,” according to police.

The attack happened just after 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning after the boy’s grandmother had dropped him off with a friend who was scheduled to take him to school, PPB Public Information Officer Mike Benner told local Fox 12.

Benner told the outlet the boy followed the woman into her garage, where the dogs were kept, when one of the dogs began attacking him.

The woman “did everything she could to save this boy’s life,” Benner told Fox 12.

“We understand that the homeowner/dog owner did everything in her power to stop this attack, at some point even grabbing a gun — it never got that far,” Benner added.

The woman was covered in blood when police arrived at the home and was later treated for minor injuries to her hands, the New York Post reported. No charges have been filed against the woman, though Benner told Fox 12 that an investigation into the incident is still ongoing.

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“I speak for everyone at the bureau when I say that our hearts break for this little boy, for his family, for his friends," Benner said. "I mean, anytime something like this happens it’s a shock to the conscience but to have this happen just weeks before Christmas is unimaginable."

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