Dog Killed After Biting Off Woman's Thumb

El Paso County Sheriff's Office officials say they have fatally shot a pit bull that had bitten off a West Texas woman's thumb.  The 70-year-old woman had been visiting her grandson on Saturday in the town of Tornillo when the female pit bull attacked her as she reached for her purse.

Sheriff's office spokeswoman Deputy Angelica Becerra says the dog bit off the woman's thumb. The woman was taken to a hospital in nearby El Paso where doctors would try to reattach the thumb.

Deputies shot and killed the dog after it had showed aggressiveness and had run off. Becerra says the dog had puppies.

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Information from: El Paso Times, http://www.elpasotimes.com

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.