A woman found her 3-year-old son lying unconscious Tuesday with deep bite marks on his neck, mauled by one of the 11 wolves the family raised.

“The dog was standing over him as if its prey had been killed and it was protecting its prey,” Police Chief Rick Reier said.

Colt Rannals underwent a 3-1/2 hour operation at Children’s Hospital and was in serious condition, said spokesman Jake Lowery. He had wounds to his neck and chest.

The 11 wolves that are raised and bred at the family’s home outside Harrah are kept in a cage, although the one that attacked the boy was on a chain outside a fence, police said.

It will be up to the family to decide if the wolf should be destroyed.

Reier said police were checking to be sure the family was in compliance with state and federal breeding regulations.