Only On 9: 8-Year Old Girl Mauled By Dog Thanks Her Rescuer

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — It was a normal school day that turned into a nightmare.

8-year old Gabriella Jones was walking to school when she was mauled by a dog in San Bernardino, and it was all caught on camera.

One dog dragged her by the arm while a second dog ran loose nearby.

"I remember I was on the ground," Jones recounted.

That's when the dog bit her face several times.

Jones also remembers the man, Jesse Jimenez, who ran to save her.

"I remember him kicking and hitting the dog," Jones said.

The owners of the video asked us not to reveal their names, but they wanted to share the bravery of Jesse Jimenez.

"Her life is more important than me," Jimenez said.

We spoke to the owner of the dogs, who did not want to go on-camera.

He does want to apologize to Gabriella and her family, and wants it to be known that he choose to put the dogs down to make sure no one else will ever get hurt.

Jimenez says he knows the dog owner, and he's never experienced any problems with them before.

The owner says the animals were fixed and they were listed as American Staffordshire Terriers.

An animal services spokesperson told us the breed is commonly known as pitbulls, however.

The owner believes someone opened the gate which caused his dogs to run out.

"Thank you for saving me, thank you for being my angel," Jones said to Jimenez.

Jones is scheduled to see a plastic surgeon on Monday. In the meantime, her parents plan to keep her out of school.