3 dogs escape, maul woman, 61

Three mastiff breed dogs ranging from 95 to 125 pounds escaped from a Laguna Hills yard and mauled a 61-year-old woman Thursday, authorities said.

The woman was taking an afternoon walk in the 25900 block of Terra Bella Avenue when the dogs attacked her, said Lt. Hal Brotheim of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Two male neighbors tried to get the dogs off the woman by hitting them with shovels, Brotheim said.

The woman was taken to the hospital and underwent surgery. “She was in pretty bad shape,” Brotheim said.

It is unclear why the dogs attacked or how they escaped from the yard, said Ryan Drabek, spokesman for Orange County Animal Care Services. The dogs also bit a man on the arms and legs, but his injuries were not severe, Drabek said.

The dogs were euthanized at the request of the owners, Drabek said.