Mother, daughter hospitalized after Hastings dog attack

A family dog attacked its owner in Hastings on Tuesday evening and might have killed the woman if not for police forcing their way into the family's home and shooting the dog, police reported.

The police were first notified when a "hysterical" juvenile called at about 5:30 p.m. to report the ongoing attack at a house on the 1300 block of N. Frontage Road. When police arrived, the frantic juvenile communicated with officers from an open upstairs window, police said.

The officers forced their way into the house through the front door and had no choice but to shoot the dog in the entryway, "most likely saving the homeowner's life," Hastings Police Chief David D. Wilske said in a press release.

Two ambulances were called because both the mother and daughter were injured in the attack, police said. They were taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul.

The dog was a pitbull or pitbull mix, according to Wilske.

A Dakota County Sheriff's Office crime scene team was requested to process the scene. The dog's body was taken to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center for a necropsy. No officers or neighbors were injured in the incident.