A woman accused of a domestic situation is now facing animal cruelty charges.

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Nadira Guice says it all started after she, her mother and sister, 32-year-old Aleta James, attended a funeral for a family friend on Sunday.

Early Monday morning, she says her sister and mother got into a confrontation.

Neighbor Pam Hitt heard the 4 a.m. dispute as she was on her way to work.

"I heard screams, and I stopped to listen," Hitt said.

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office says the fight between James and her mother turned violent. Guice says she tried to calm the two, but according to police, James got a knife and cut her 51-year-old mother.

In the process, the family's two pet dogs, a Miniature Poodle and a Yorkshire Terrier, somehow got in the way. They were injured and died at the scene.

During the argument, police say, James' 4-year-old son was in another room in the apartment.

James and her mother were treated at a local hospital.

James was arrested after she was released from the hospital. She is charged with assault and child neglect.