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Bull Mastiff Attacks, Tearing Off Ear Of 6-Year-Old Boy In Moreno Valley

MORENO VALLEY (CBS) — A large bull mastiff has been caught and quarantined after it attacked a woman and her child Tuesday, biting off part of his ear.

The mauling was reported at 11:42 a.m. outside a home on Indian Street, just south of Myers Avenue.

The woman, who was pushing a baby in a stroller, was walking with her 6-year-old son when they passed in front of the home, where the dog attacked.

"From what the witnesses told me, the dog just hit the fence and bulldozed through," an animal control officer told CBS2/KCAL9's Greg Mills.

The dog is big – estimated to weigh 160 pounds. It took four people to subdue the dog and get it into the animal control truck, Mills reports.

The child's ear was torn and the back of his head was gnawed, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. The mother may have also suffered an injury to her hip.

A honk from a passing car interrupted the attack, and may have saved the child's life, Mills reports.

The owners of the dog were cooperative, turned the dog over and were cited. The dog will be quarantined for 10 days and then euthanized.

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