The attack happened around 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon at a home in the 200 block of Doyle Street in Longview.
Animal control officers say it started innocently enough when the girl hugged a friend.
Officer Ron Bakken with Longview Animal Control says, "The victim was hugging the owner of the dog at the time, and the dog took that as a sign of aggression to its owner."
That's when they say the pit-bull mix launched a relentless attack singling out the girl.
"There were other children on scene. The owner was on scene. they were throwing objects at it, swatting at it, trying to get it off of her and every time they would dislodge the dog, it would come back," says Bakken.
For animal control officers, it was one of the worst that they had seen, not because of the extent of the injuries, but the duration of the attack which was repeated over and over.
Despite of efforts to stop it, the girl could not get away. Witnesses say the attack lasted 3 minutes.
The dog was given up by the owners, and was put down to be tested for possible rabies.
The girl was released from the hospital on Wednesday.
(KLTV - Jan 25, 2012)
