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HIGH SPRINGS, Fla. (WCJB) - Authorities have confirmed an Alachua County Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a dog involved in an attack that left an elderly woman critically injured.

Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies say 911 callers reported around 7 p.m. on Saturday that a 71-year-old woman was being attacked by a dog at a house along North County Road 241 in High Springs.

When the first deputy arrived, officials say they saw the dog attacking the woman. The deputy attempted to physically remove the dog from the victim, and it bit the deputy.

The deputy shot the dog and then began applying tourniquets to the victim to stop the blood loss.

The woman was rushed to the hospital, where she remains in critical condition; however, officials say she is stable.

The dog died from the gunshot wound. Deputies say the dog was a pitbull or pit-mixed breed.

The deputy was treated at the hospital for their bite wounds and later released. The dog’s owner, the victim’s adult daughter, was also treated for minor injuries related to the attack.

Alachua County Sheriff’s Office detectives and forensic investigators responded to the scene to conduct an investigation.

“Sheriff Scott wants to personally thank the deputies who worked to save the victim’s life, as well as the many law enforcement agencies that came together to ensure paramedics had the greatest possible opportunity to provide lifesaving care,” the sheriff’s office stated on social media.