A 10-month-old baby has been killed after being attacked by the family’s two Rottweilers while the child’s father left them unattended for just a few moments to do a quick chore.

The incident occurred at approximately 8 p.m. in Willow Spring, North Carolina — about 15 miles south of Raleigh — when the child’s father briefly left the baby unattended inside the family home to go outside and move a sprinkler in the yard, Johnston County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Danny Johnson told WTVD at the scene of the incident.

“The father had left the small child inside the residence unattended for only a couple of minutes, he heard a lot of commotion in the house, went back inside and found the baby unresponsive,” said Johnson.

Authorities say that the father then immediately called for help and when deputies arrived they began performing CPR on the baby but were unsuccessful in their attempts.

Johnson said that emergency medical services arrived just a short time later and again attempted CPR procedures on the child but did not get a response. The baby was pronounced deceased at the scene of the attack.

“The Sheriff’s Office and EMS responded but were unsuccessful on reviving the child,” Johnson told WTVD. “It appears the family’s dogs attacked the child and that is the reason for its death.”

After a brief investigation, Johnson said the father, who is a law enforcement officer, had briefly left the baby unattended in the home to go outside and move a sprinkler in the yard.

“He just stepped outside to move a sprinkler and the neighbour pulled up talking to him, and not even a couple of minutes passed and he heard the commotion inside the house,” said Johnson.

It is not known if there have been any previous issues with the dogs before the attack occurred.

The two dogs have since been seized by animal control but it has not yet been determined what will happen to them.

“It’s a bad scene,” said Johnson. “Anytime that a young child like that passes — or any child — it is very hard in us all because we all have children. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family. We can’t imagine what they are going through. They’ve got a long road ahead of them.”