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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