N.C. Woman Was Mauled to Death by Stray Dog After Jumping In to Defend Her Own Pet By Christine Pelisek 34

A North Carolina woman was mauled to death by a stray dog after she tried to defend her own pet.

Deputies found Barbara Brewington, 38, deceased in the yard of her home on North Peavine Road near Bonnetsville the afternoon of Sunday, Nov. 23.

According to the Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton, she was mauled by a mixed breed stray dog she had started taking care of in May.

“She had her own pet dog,” Thornton tells PEOPLE. “And for some reason or another, the little dog got out. And she was trying to separate the stray dog from her pet. And apparently the dog got overly aggressive and attacked her.”

Brewington, who was home alone at the time of the attack, was able to save her smaller dog and get it inside the home, Thornton says.

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The stray dog was later euthanized at the scene, Thornton says.

Brewington, a mother of three, worked as a dental assistant at Village Family Dental, according to her online obituary.  

“If you knew Barbara, you knew what real love was,” her sister wrote on a GoFundMe page. “She was a ray of sunshine on a rainy day. She was the laughter in any room. You won’t meet a person who would tell you any different. Being a mother was her calling. She loved her children more than life itself.”