A mother who protected her son from a dog attack has tragically passed away from her horrific injuries.
Heather Pingel, 35 proved that a mother's love has no bounds when she stepped in to protect her four-year-old son from their attacking pitbull.
Her arms were ripped apart in the ferocious attack at their home in Wisconsin on Thursday.
The boy’s father, Shane Bernarde, found a severely injured Heather unable to move inside their home, and their son, Damian, had blood gushing out of his legs.
A police report stated that when Shane returned home Heather was in the bathroom with the door closed.
She told him that Damian had fallen down the steps and she didn't know where he was, so he went to find him.
After finding him, he returned to Heather, who was being attacked by the family dog, Wausau Daily Herald reports.
"We don't know how long she was in there fighting him off...She said, ‘I have no arms, and I’m dying,’ ” said Pingel’s sister, Shannon Pingel.
Shane then dragged the dog outside and shot it with a pistol
Officers reached the house shortly before 3pm.
When they arrived, Heather was on the floor in the bathroom unable to speak or breathe properly.
Damian was sat on a chair with blood pouring from his leg.
The pair were rushed to hospital where Heather was treated for her injuries, but after a week of fighting for her life, she died.
She suffered from kidney failure and had had both of her arms amputated because of the extent of the injuries.
Damian received 70 stitches for his injuries and was later released from hospital.
Her family are not sure what exactly happened to her as Heather was unable to communicate with officers.
However, her family suspect that the dog attacked Damian after he fell down the stairs.
“The dog was always kinda skittish when loud noises happen, so we are guessing Damian fell down the stairs and was crying and might have even kicked up towards the dog, and the dog grabbed his leg and Heather did everything she could to save her son,” Shannon said.
The family guess that Heather found the dog, attacking Damian and was unable to get it under control in the bathroom.
According to the police report, the dog had shown signs of aggression in the past, but Heather loved the animal and did not want to give it away.
Shannon said Heather had "the biggest heart for animals and just couldn't get rid of it...her heart was too big and they thought they could fix him."
She remembers her sister as "the bravest, strongest mother I know to do that for her child; she risked her life to save him. She is a hero."
Officers said in the police report the incident did not appear to be "criminal in nature," and the dog would be tested by the health department.
In a Facebook post, Shannon said: "RIP my sweet sister. We will all be here for your babies! Give grandma a hug and wait for me to get there...I love you soo much! This isn't gonna be easy."
Shannon has also started a GoFundMe account to help the family with medical bills, funeral costs and to support her children Damian and Carmen.
The fundraiser had raised more than $37,000 at the time of writing.
