SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. — A San Tan Valley mother is recovering from a brutal dog attack and sharing a warning she hopes others take seriously: even a dog that seems gentle and familiar can become dangerous without warning.

Cara Newell said the dog that nearly killed her wasn’t a stranger. Her family had been temporarily caring for Odin, a 5-year-old mastiff, for about a month. Despite his size, she says he had never shown signs of aggression—until last Friday night.

Newell remembers the sounds of the attack vividly.

“I actually laid in bed last night, and I just kept hearing the chomps, the growls,” she said.

It was a moment she never thought she’d face.

“Never would I have thought that I could have been killed by a dog,” she said.

Just hours before, she had been relaxing with him.

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