A Saint John, N.B. woman says she was saved by her pitbull after an ordinary afternoon turned into a terrifying wrestling match with a buck in her own backyard.

Trinda Short had no idea what kind of ordeal she was about to go through when she took her dog Tyson out into the backyard for some fresh air on Tuesday.

She told CTV News Atlantic that the two of them walked down the steps of her house like any other day, but when she reached the bottom and looked up, an enormous deer was right beside her.

“The deer instantly charged at me and it hit my face,” Short said. “Got my elbows, got my legs.”

It was an eight-point buck, she said, a term that describes the number of points on a buck's rack of antlers. Short was “raised in a hunter family,” so she reacted fast.

“I weigh about 123 pounds, and when it was coming at me … I grabbed the horns,” she said. She was picked up off the ground by the force of the charge. The antlers tore her clothes “right off me,” she said.

“It had my headphones wrapped around its antlers the whole entire time,” she said. “It was focused on me.”

But Tyson, her dog, had not abandoned her to the fight -- he was dancing around the buck’s feet, biting its legs. Short said Tyson was able to yank the buck off of her long enough for her to call the police.

When officers arrived, the deer had Tyson pinned. Police say they only had one option.

“Unfortunately, the deer had to be put down,” said Jim Hennessy, manager of communications for the Saint John police.

According to New Brunswick’s Department of Natural Resources, the breeding season for deer is approaching, which means bucks may be more aggressive at this time of year. They also may be triggered to become dangerous by the presence of pets, the department said.

“I guess it serves as a solid reminder that if you are out walking your pet, just be aware of your surroundings,” Hennessy said.

Short has bruises and a black eye from the struggle, but says she feels grateful for her dog’s heroics, which likely prevented her from sustaining more serious injuries.

Tyson -- a pitbull who was supposed to be put down before Short adopted him three years ago -- received a gash where an antler punctured his skin while he was defending his owner.

“I rescued him, but I think he’s rescued me now,” Short said.