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California girl, 16, in serious condition after being MAULED by her own family's pack of 5 Cane Corso mastiffs

Ventury County officers responded to reports of a dog attack at a home in the 100 block of Manzanita Lane at about 3.30 pm on Sunday, October 30

THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA: A teenager was rushed to hospital in serious condition after she was attacked by family dogs at home, police said. Officers from the Ventura County Sheriff's Department (VCSD) responded to reports of a dog bite at a home in the 100 block of Manzanita Lane at about 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 30.

The 16-year-old girl and her mother were both attacked by the dogs after the latter tried to intervene. The girl, who has not been identified, was initially reported to be in a serious condition after being injured during the attack at her Thousand Oaks home. Fortunately, she is expected to survive.

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The attack involved six large dogs, according to the Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD), which noted the girl was transported to the hospital in a serious condition. "Animal control is currently securing the dogs," a VCFD spokesperson said in a tweet. "The girl and the dogs are from the same residence."

A neighbor alerted the authorities about the attack after the mother and daughter exited the residence trying to keep their dogs trapped indoors. However, the dogs turned on the teenage girl at some point, and the pack was still attacking her when the first responders arrived, KTTV reported. Officers eventually used air horns and pepper spray to stop the assault. The dogs were later identified as Italian Cane Corso mastiffs. Authorities confirmed that the girl sustained bite marks mainly on her head and legs. Video from the scene showed animal control officers removing the unhinged canines from the premises.

A witness provided more details about the incident to ABC 7. The man anonymously said he heard his neighbor's five Cane Corso dogs in the front yard and later saw them attacking the teenager. "I didn't think too much of it until we heard a little girl scream, and I jumped up and saw the girl on the ground with the dogs on top of her, and her mom was on top trying to shield her," he said. "The dogs were just going at it."

The witness said he was with his girlfriend at the time and that he tried to intervene, but fled as soon as the dogs noticed him. "I got halfway out into the street... the dogs started coming after me. My girlfriend yelled at me to 'Come back in, come back in' and sure enough three of them chased me," he recalled. "I barely made it back into the gate without them catching me."

The girl was rushed to the hospital in critical condition but is now expected to survive. Meanwhile, her mother was also treated for some minor injuries. "I have nothing bad to say about the family or the dogs," the witness added, "It's the first time I've ever seen this." It's worth noting that no one was detained in connection with the incident and the dogs are in the custody of L.A. County Animal Control at the time of publication.