Dog attacks, seriously injures four-year-old in Australia

2011-01-04 05:31:16 GMT+7 (ICT)

SYDNEY (BNO NEWS) -- A four-year-old Australian girl was seriously injured on Monday evening when a dog attacked the child at her home in Australia, police said on Tuesday.

The incident happened at around 7.15 p.m. local time on Monday when the four-year-old girl was playing with the family Labrador as it was eating its dinner at their home in Nimbin, a village in the Northern Rivers area of the Australian state of New South Wales.

The NSW Police Force said it appeared that the dog turned to the child after it was approached while eating, biting her face and removing a large piece of the girl's cheeck.

"She was taken to Lismore Base Hospital before being transferred to Royal Brisbane Hospital for surgery," a police spokesperson said, adding that the girl remains in a serious condition.

Police said it is not yet known what will happen to the dog, but it is likely it will be put down.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-01-04

As previously said, all dogs can be 'dangerous dogs' if 1) incorrectly trained 2) incorrectly approached

Never take away food from a dog. Duh.

Very sad to hear, but as GK said, never take food from a dog.  My dog is very well behaved and quite well trained, but if I reach down to take a plate away before dog thinks it's done, she is likely to bite first and figure out who it was later.  

Of course, a 4 year old could never be held responsible for knowing this.  I am also saddened by the the possible fate of the dog.  

My dog would never bite me if I did it, nor would most of the street dogs I feed before, but they knew that if they would do something like that against their leader (me) I would 'bite' back harder.

But a 4 year old has had no chance of putting themselves above the dog in the flock and are easily a target in that sense.