A mother of three was killed by her neighbors’ dogs in Pennsylvania when she tried to feed them, according to police.

State police said in a statement that on Thursday, March 16, Kristin Potter, 38, was attacked by two Great Danes she was feeding for their absent owner.

The attack happened at a home in Center Township, Pennsylvania. Reporters were told by Perry County Coroner Robert Ressler that the victim had taken her son with her to feed the dogs.  Her son screamed and ran for help as the dogs suddenly turned on his mother.

Ressler told the local news that the boy saw very little of the attack because he ran to his brother for help across the street.

Minutes later, responding officers had arrived, but the woman was already dead. They couldn’t get to Potter until animal control arrived and tranquilized the dogs.

According to a friend of the family, the police suspect that the dogs were already fighting when Potter and her son arrived, and that they attacked Potter when she tried to separate the dogs.

Multiple traumatic injuries were determined to be the cause of her death, and the medical examiner ruled her death to be accidental. Whether or not the owner will face charges is currently unknown.

Officers from animal control took the two dogs to a vet, who euthanized them. The police say a third dog was present at the time of the attack but did not take part in the mauling attack.

Jacob Presley Fickett, Potter’s husband, said that Potter was a mother of three and that the family had already suffered tremendous grief when a car accident took the life of one of their children in 2021. Her husband said Potter was an angel.

The Great Dane is a large dog that can grow to be 32 inches tall. They are known for being friendly and affectionate, but their gentle demeanor should not be confused with weakness.