By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
A girl of two was being treated in hospital for horrific facial injuries today after being attacked by a family dog in her home.
The toddler is understood to have lost her jaw and some facial tissue in the incident.
She is on a ventilator, but is said to be stable.
The incident happened on Monday at lunchtime when the animal - believed to be a French Bullmastiff - suddenly turned on the child at her family's home in Eltham, south-east London.
The girl's father immediately stepped in and killed the dog - one of three kept by the family - with a kitchen knife.
The girl is currently in King's College Hospital in Denmark Hill, south-east London.
Detectives from Greenwich CID were speaking to the family yesterday in an attempt to find out how the attack happened.
The family also have a female French Bullmastiff which was in season at the time and police believe that may have caused the male dog to be more aggressive.
A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: We were called at just after 1.10pm on Monday afternoon to reports of an incident in Churchbury Road, Eltham, following reports that a two-year-old girl had been attacked by the family dog.
'She was taken to a South London hospital with facial injuries and is in a stable condition.
'The incident occurred at a residential address and, at this stage, it's believed that the dog was a family pet. The owner tackled the dog with a knife and the dog died at the scene'.
The animal is not a breed thought to be covered under the dangerous dogs act.
The family's other two dogs have been taken into police care but they are not described as dangerous.
It is understood the police received assistance from the RSPCA, who are believed to have taken away two other dogs that were at the house.
The incident comes amid growing alarm that some breeds of large dog are being used by gangs as weapons or status symbols.
The French Mastiff - also called the Bordeaux Bulldog - is a relatively short, stocky mastiff.
According to breeders it usually has a good and calm temperament.
They are renowned for being extremely loyal, patient and devoted.
Fearless and confrontational with strangers, they make a first class watch and guard dog.
The French Mastiff can be aggressive to other dogs unless they are socialised from an early age.
Despite their fearsome appearance, the breed is usually gentle with children.
They need a calm, but firm owner who displays a natural authority over the dog.
Daily Mail
