A babysitter in Texas left a toddler and teenager alone, resulting in the dogs attacking the toddler. The sheriff's office is investigating the incident.

In Texas, a babysitter was arrested and charged with felony injury to a child after leaving a toddler and teenager in her care alone, resulting in the children being attacked by her dogs.

A preliminary investigation suggests that Heather Rodriguez, 36, left two children, a 1-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl, alone with her four XL American bullies in the Central Texas town of Converse.

Rodriguez left the home for unknown reasons and left the children in a bedroom, away from the dogs because they were known to cause damage, according to Salazar.

Salazar stated that the dogs eventually broke into the bedroom by destroying the connecting bathroom door that they had already previously damaged.

Once the dogs entered the room, the toddler was bitten by them, as stated by Salazar.

The sheriff stated that the 13-year-old girl managed to keep control of the baby, but at this point, the baby was being pulled between at least one of the dogs and the girl in a tug of war.

Salazar stated that the teenage girl spent "several minutes trying to fight off" the additional dogs that joined the fray.

"At a certain point, she was being attacked while she went to go get her cell phone to call for help."

The toddler was in danger, so the girl called 911, safely moved them to another room, and barricaded themselves in there to protect them from the dogs.

The 1-year-old child was first aided by deputies before being taken to the hospital.

"According to USA Today, Salazar stated at a news conference on Monday that based on current information about the baby, he is in critical condition. Salazar added that he has viewed pictures of the baby from the body camera video, which were taken during the incident, and found them to be heartbreaking."

Salazar stated that the baby suffered "severe head injuries" and had difficulty breathing due to damage to his throat and airway.

The sheriff stated that Rodriguez's "problematic" dogs were unknown to the children's parents, and he believed they would not have allowed Rodriguez to care for their baby in the same manner if they had known the dogs were unsafe.

The teenage girl's prompt actions probably averted a catastrophic outcome.

"Salazar stated, "I must admit, the 13-year-old in this scenario, I view her as a hero. Her actions likely prevented the baby from being severely injured or killed during the vicious dog attack.""

Both children's welfare, particularly their physical and mental well-being, is being monitored by Child Protective Services.

Rodriguez, besides being charged with a felony for injuring a child, has also been cited for allowing her dogs to run freely without a leash. The sheriff stated that it is evident that two of the dogs took part in the attack, but it is possible that all of them were involved.

""Clearly, any dog involved in it must be euthanized, as difficult as that may be, the life of a newborn is more valuable," Salazar stated."

Rodriguez's main concern was the safety of her dogs, rather than the well-being of the children who were attacked by them. The dogs are currently being held by Bexar County Animal Control for evaluation.

"If we discover that one or more of the dogs were not at fault, then they can return, but Rodriguez appeared more preoccupied with the actions of the dogs than with the fact that her inaction and omissions nearly resulted in a baby's death."