Tallahassee police had to shoot an attacking pit bull, after the animal mauled a south Tallahassee woman.

Neighbors say they've been complaining about the owner's dogs for over a year.

Ironically, the animal turned vicious on the 71-year-old woman who lives with the dogs.

Police responded to this home within five minutes Tuesday morning after neighbors reported a dog was attacking a woman. An eyewitness who did not want to be identified said it was a scary sight.

The victim was an elderly woman who lives at the same residence as the dog neighbor.

Ms. Morris says the victim feeds and takes care of the mixed breed pit bull and other dogs, that apparently belong to her grandson in law, who was not home at the time.

Neighbors say they've complained countless times about the pit bulls, for reasons of noise, odor and fear.

Seventy-one Rosa Jones was taken to Tallahassee Community Hospital and is in condition.

Tallahassee police say animal control will conduct an investigation to see if there is anything improper regarding the other dogs on the premises. And an internal investigation is underway to determine whether the shooting was justified.

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Dog Attack Statistics

• 4.7 million dog bites are reported in the U.S. annually

• 800,000 dog bites require medical attention each year

• Reported dog bites have increased 37 percent since 1990

• For every dog bite fatality, there are 670 hospitalizations

• Children are the most frequent victims

• Children are most frequently bitten in the face and neck area

• Boys ages five to nine are bitten most frequently

• 334,000 dog bites require emergency room visits

• Dog attacks cost society about $1 billion each year

• Insurance companies pay about $250 million each year in dog bite case claims

• State Farm Insurance alone processes more than 14,000 dog bite claims each year

• More than 7,000 U.S. Postal carriers report being bit by a dog each year

Sources: drklein.net contributed to this report