UNITED KINGDOM -- Police are investigating after a two-year-old girl was attacked by a Rottweiler believed to be a family pet.
The child was taken to hospital with serious head and leg injuries following the attack in Rawmarsh, Rotherham, in South Yorkshire.
The pet was on a lead at the time and an adult female relative was also present, police said.
Her condition was described as stable and not life-threatening.
The dog has been taken to a secure kennel facility while police investigations take place.
The attack, shortly before 10am on Tuesday, came after new sentencing proposals revealed that the owners of killer dogs could face life in prison - an increase from the current maximum of two years.
Higher sentences for owners who allow their dogs to attack members of the public have been put out by the Government for consultation.
Life imprisonment is one option, while 10 years is the maximum term suggested for the owner of a dog which injures a person or kills an assistance dog, such as a guide dog for the blind.
Some 16 people have been killed by dangerous dogs since 2005, including 14-year-old Jade Anderson who was savaged by four dogs as she was visiting the home of a friend near Wigan in March.
(Sky News - Aug 6, 2013)
