updated 8/31/2009 3:14:07 PM ET 2009-08-31T19:14:07

Authorities say they are charging a North Carolina woman who slept as a pit bull chewed the toes off her 4-month-old baby's left foot.

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The Onslow County Sheriff's Office said Monday that the child's mother, Robie Lynn Jenkins, and her boyfriend, Tremayne Spillman, will be charged with felony child abuse.

Deputies say the couple were dog-sitting the 1-year-old pit bull for a friend who had been arrested on gun charges.

Officials say Jenkins told investigators she was on medication and didn't hear the child crying as the two slept in the same room Sunday night. She says she didn't notice the injury until she changed the baby's diaper Monday morning.

Jenkins and Spillman did not have a listed phone number, and authorities would not say whether they had attorneys.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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