Mom charged in fatal dog mauling
Maureen Faibish gets into a car in front her father's home Thursday, in San Francisco, California. RELATED  Mother of mauling victim feared family dog
SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- The mother of a 12-year-old boy fatally mauled by the family's pit bulls was charged Thursday with child endangerment.
Nicholas Faibish was killed June 3 by one or both of the family dogs when his mother went out to run errands.
Maureen Faibish, 39, found her son in a bedroom, covered in blood from several wounds, including a major head injury.
One of the dogs was shot and killed by a police officer shortly after the attack. The other remains in animal control custody.
"His parent made the decision to leave (Nicholas) alone in a situation that endangered his life and ultimately led to his death," prosecutor Kamala Harris said in a statement.
Maureen Faibish told the San Francisco Chronicle she had been so concerned about one of the dogs that she shut her son in the basement to protect him. She said the male dog was acting possessively because the female was in heat.
An arraignment will be scheduled for next week. Faibish faces a maximum ten years in prison if convicted.
Maureen Faibish of  711 Lincoln Way San Francisco, CA was arrested on June 24, 2005 on the charge of child endangerment in the actions leading up to the death of her son, 12-year-old Nicholas Faibish, who was mauled by one or both of her two pit bull dogs, Rex 2 and Ella.  

Nicholas was discovered dead in the front bedroom of her home at approximately 15:15 PDT on June 3, 2005, by his mother, who had left the house to run some errands.  She had locked her son in the basement to keep him away from the dogs.  "I put him down there, with a shovel on the door.", Faibish said in a telephone interview to the San Francisco Chronicle. "He had a bunch of food. And I told him, 'Stay down there until I come back.' Typical Nicky, he wouldn't listen to me."

Faibish stated that she believes that her son had walked in when Rex 2, a male pit bull, was attempting to mate with Ella, a female pit bull who was in heat at the time.  She stated that Rex 2 had been acting possessively prior to the incident.  A police officer shot and killed Ella in order to gain entry to the apartment.  Rex 2 was captured and removed to an animal shelter.  "The police killed the wrong dog if you ask me.", Faibish said.