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An example of an American Staffordshire terrier, shown in a 2002 file photo.
Three Temecula children were hospitalized after a family friend's dog attacked them Saturday, July 11 in Temecula, Riverside County sheriff's deputies said.

All three children - ages 4, 14, and 15 - were taken to a local hospital with injuries to their arms. One later was flown to a hospital in San Diego for further treatment. The names and possible relationship of the children were not disclosed.

The extent of their injuries and their conditions were not available.

The dog - an American Staffordshire terrier, a breed of pit bull - was turned over to animal control officers.

The children were attacked just before 5 p.m. Saturday in the 40000 block of Chantemar Way in Temecula, according to a Riverside County Sheriff's Department news release.

"Witnesses stated the dog ... mistook children playing as aggressive actions," the release said.

It attacked one of them, and when two other children tried to help, the dog attacked them as well, the release said.

When deputies arrived, they confined the dog to a bathroom and called animal control.

Chantemar Way resident Rachel Smith, 39, said she was getting ready to leave for the day when the 15-year-old girl who was bitten ran up to her to tell her about the dog attack.

The girl was "frantic," Smith said, and had sustained bites on her arms. She was having difficulty explaining what had happened, Smith said.

Smith said the attack occurred while the children's parents were out shopping at a supermarket. The 15-year-old had been left in charge of watching the others.

Smith talked to the girl as another neighbor called animal control. The girl explained that there were others inside the home with the dog.

Smith said the 14-year-old boy who was attacked also had bite wounds on his arms. She couldn't tell where the 4-year-old child was bitten but said there was blood all over the child's torso.

"It was horrific," Smith said.

Smith said many of the children - including the 15-year-old - didn't live at the home but were there as part of a community gathering of military families.

Smith said she didn't know who was the dog's owner.

Animal Friends of the Valley, which provides animal control services in Temecula, is not open on Sundays and could not be reached for information on the dog's status.