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© Scripps MediaA father and his adult son were taken to the hospital after they were repeatedly bitten by a dog in Eastlake.
Police officers put down a dog after it was seriously injured in an attack against its owner and his son, who were bitten several times Sunday afternoon, Chula Vista police said.

A family was in the backyard of their La Costa Avenue home near Masters Ridge Road when, for unknown reasons, a boxer turned on its owner's adult son and began biting him, police Lt. Kenny Heinz said. The owner tried to pull the dog away, and it began attacking him as well. Both men repeatedly tried to pull the dog off each other and were bitten a number of times in the process. Someone at the home called police about 2 p.m.

Firefighters got their first and tried to restrain the dog with "emergency equipment," Heinz said. When police arrived, they found the dog badly injured. An officer shot the dog to end its suffering and to protect against any other attacks, Heinz said.

"The family was extremely upset," he said. "They are totally shocked the dog would do this. It's a really upsetting situation."

The two injured men were taken to a hospital for their injuries.