Five dogs were euthanized by a Nebraska humane society on March 11, over two weeks after they brutally attacked a woman while she was on a run, Nebraska deputies said.

The dogs went off their owner’s property in Lincoln and mauled the 39-year-old woman while she was running at about 8:45 a.m. on Feb. 24, Lancaster County Chief Deputy Ben Houchin said.

“It’s one of the most severe attacks I’ve ever seen in 31 years,” Houchin said.

A person nearby and the dogs’ owner helped get the dogs away from the woman, deputies said.

The victim had puncture wounds to the face, head, neck and arms, deputies said. She needed surgery and told deputies she “thought she was going to die,” Houchin said. She’s now recovering.

The dogs, identified by authorities as 1-year-old German shepherds, were known to go after neighbors, according to deputies. A previous biting incident occurred in December, Houchin said.

Due to the dogs’ behavior, those involved with the case classified the five dogs as unadoptable and determined that they needed to be euthanized.

“We did not want them to become somebody else’s problem,” Houchin said. “The safety of our citizens outweighs any animals, especially when they are being aggressive.”

The dogs were so aggressive that humane society staff could not get into their kennels, deputies said.

The 20-year-old owner was cited for five counts of dog at large, deputies said.

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