'He was my hero,' pastor saves family from dog attack

A woman from Indiana is honouring her husband after he stepped in front of a pair of pit bulls to prevent her and her grandaughter from being attacked.

Betty Mundine says her husband of almost 50 years helped save her life after pit bulls came into their yard. William Mundine, an 85-year-old pastor saw the dogs and immediately went to shoo them away from his wife when things took a turn. 

William, who led Faith Tabernacle Apostolic Church, tried to simply get the dogs off his yard but they attacked him and ended up mauling him to death. 

"He was a hero," Betty told the local news station. "I say he saved my life."

Holly Watkins, the Mundine's granddaughter was also there that day when the attack happened. Both women were able to make it safely inside their home only to witness the dogs attacking William. 

Animal Control in the area had been called a few days earlier to report pit bulls running loose in the neighbour, attacking people. Indianapolis Animal Care Services were unable to locate the dogs and a few days before William's attack another person had been attacked and was brought to the hospital in critical condition. 

"Every day, they just come in people's yards," Watkins said Tuesday after the attack. "Like just last night, we were in the backyard — and they ran up on us — and we just had to kinda run and wait for them to leave."

Melissa Mundine, William and Betty's daughter pleaded with authorities to take care of the situation so this doesn't happen to other families. 

"Find the dogs. Find the owners of the dogs and let's get this situation handled."