Authorities responded to a call at around 2:20 p.m. about a dog attack on a baby girl at a home on Greaves St, Inverell, in northern New South Wales (NSW), Australia.
Paramedics treated the infant who was suffering from critical injuries at the scene but she died on the way to the hospital, according to police.
Police said that the family’s Rottweiler dog was found in the backyard of the home and has been seized by Gwydir Shire Council rangers.
“I just saw a young girl in an ambulance officer’s arms which was dreadful to see,” she told the newspaper.
“I figured (she had died) when she came out the way she did.
“I didn’t see any marks on her so I thought it must have been a pool incident … I didn’t notice any movement.
“I didn’t see much after that because I ran inside because it was a little too vivid to watch,” she added.
The family had just moved into the area, according to the Sunday Telegraph
Police said an investigation is now underway to determine what happened. A report will be prepared for the Coroner.
Between July to September, 2017, there were 1196 dog attacks reported to NSW local councils. Of those, 125 attacks involved children while 36 people were hospitalised, reported the newspaper.
“Bites from large breed dogs (and especially well-recognised breeds such as the Pit Bull terrier, Rottweiler and German Shepherd) are more likely to be reported so these breeds are tend to be over-represented in reports,” the association found.
The association said the tendency of a dog to bite is dependent on a number of factors such as heredity (genes, breed), early experience, socialisation and training, health (physical and psychological), as well as victim behaviour.
“Other factors include the sex and age of the animal, along with a range of other social and environmental factors,” the association found, according to the report.
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