Child badly mauled by 3 dogs in Arizona City

ARIZONA CITY, AZ - A 10-year-old boy is in a Phoenix hospital with serious injuries after getting attacked by three dogs.

The boy's stepfather tells ABC15 the boy lost an ear and half of his face and will be hospitalized for about a week.

Spokesman Tim Gaffney with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said the attack happened around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in Arizona City, south of Casa Grande.

Click the play button below to listen to part of the 911 call. This audio may be disturbing to some listeners.

Gaffney said the boy had stepped off his school bus with several other children just before three dogs approached them.

The children yelled at the dogs to leave them alone and continued to walk home, Gaffney said.

The victim then yelled for his 5-year-old brother and other children to run for help as the dogs reportedly attacked the 10-year-old and started to maul him.

"As far as I'm concerned he saved his brother's life," said Jerry, the boy's stepfather.

The child was bitten in the face, neck, torso, and legs, Gaffney said.

He said the victim’s brother and other children returned and kicked the dogs.

Neighbors then came out and struck the dogs with baseball bats, Gaffney said.

"The white pit bull came at me and I hit him full force in the head," said neighbor Allen Rogers. "I thought I killed him. I hit him that hard."

The dogs then ran away to a nearby home where two of them were detained by Pinal County Animal Control officers.

All three dogs will be held by Animal Control as the investigation continues.

The victim was flown to the Phoenix Children’s Hospital where he was treated for serious injuries.

The boy's family says the dog owners are as much to blame as the dogs themselves.

"They've done a lot of neglect and because they're neglected my stepson is in the hospital," said Jerry.

Authorities continue to investigate and have made contact with the owners of the dogs, Gaffney said.