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2 seriously injured in Charlotte dog attack

The attack happened in the University area of Charlotte on Monday morning.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Two people were seriously injured in an animal attack Monday morning, according to Medic.

Around 9 a.m., the two people suffered serious injuries. The patients were taken to Atrium Health's Carolina Medical Center hospital in Charlotte for treatment.

The incident happened near Mallard Glen Drive and Mallard Highlands Drive, a neighborhood located near the interchange of Interstate 85 and West Mallard Creek Church Road in northeast Charlotte.

“It’s a lot, it’s a lot," Hanyange Yodi said as she recounted the moments a dog attacked her and her mother. 

For Hanyange Yodi her physical inquires will eventually heal, but her emotional scars may never. 

She says everyday her mother goes for a walk in their University City neighborhood, but that daily routine turned into a nightmare when she was attacked by two cane corso mix dogs. 

She got a call from her mother during the attack. 

“She said, 'Mimi I am dying, the dogs are biting me, and I’ve tried to fight and I can't anymore,' I heard the dogs growling and eating at her,” Yodi said. 

According to CMPD, the owner was walking her two dogs on a leash when they got free and ran away. Shortly after, they attacked Yodi's mother near apartments.

A nearby witness, who works at the day care across the street and wished to remain anonymous, said she was able to get the dogs off the first victim when they were attacking.

“I just started screaming, 'Stop, stop, stop,'" the witness said. “Her family showed up and they were yelling and screaming, 'Are those your dogs,' 'No, I don’t know whose dogs they are,' I just grabbed the dogs.” 

That's when the witness said, without warning, the dogs snapped again, attacking Yodi. 

“I was scared and I was trying to get to my mom -- the dogs immediately started attaching me, they ate my legs, all through my legs," Yodi said. "They ate at my arm, I can't move.”  

Yodi was afraid they'd be left for dead, and hopes the owner is held accountable. 

“They shouldn’t have these types of dogs in these types of environments, you've got a day care right there, you have kids going to a bus stop," Jarrell Brennan Jr., Yodi's boyfriend, said. 

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Yodi's mother remains in the ICU, with both legs torn to pieces. She's thankful to everyone who tried to help.

“The neighborhood really came together to save me and my mom's life, what they did was save us," Yodi said. 

She said it could've been worse, and she's grateful they're alive. 

CMPD Animal Care and Control first impounded the dogs, and they have since been euthanized. The dogs were sent to the state laboratory for rabies testing. The dogs did not have current rabies vaccinations, according to police. 

Neighbors are hopeful this won't happen again.

“At least someone was there to help her but what if it was just my child and I? I would be very concerned," Alannah Covington, a nearby neighbor, said. 

It poses the question, would you know what to do if a dog attacked you? Experts say anyone can become a victim.

“A lot of dogs do end up attacking because of prey drive," Kelly Daniel, the general manager of Obedient K9, said. 

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She said it's critical to train your dogs.

“There's always opportunities where you can lose control of your dog, but if you can put that work into teaching what your expectations are and put that work into how they should behave you have a lot more reliability and predictably about what their behavior is going to be," Daniel said. 

Other tips include: Don't scream if a dog on the loose approaches you, don't look it in its eyes -- they take that as a sign of confrontation, and most importantly, don't run. 

“Being calm, being neutral, if the dog does end up attacking, doing your best not to fight and stay as calm as possible," Daniel said.

If that doesn't work, call for help, and try to protect important parts of your body, like your face and organs. 

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