One-year-old Kamillah Jones was being pushed down the street by her mother in her stroller, when it's understood a Rottweiler leaped over a fence and attacked her.
She was taken to hospital but died of her injuries on the way.
Her aunt Ida Boney took to Facebook yesterday to describe the tragedy.
"She was actually being walked by her mother in a pram on the way to her granny's house just one block away," she wrote.
"There are no words to describe a scene where a mother is fighting with every ounce of her being to save her baby girl.
"Our family have lost our baby girl who never got a chance to live her life," she said.
A GoFundMe page started on Saturday has so far raised $710 of its $6,000 goal to help the family in its time of need.
Emergency services were called to a home on Greaves St, Inverell, about 2.20pm yesterday following reports a Rottweiler attacked the baby.
Officers who arrived the scene found the child suffering critical injuries.
She was treated at the scene but died on the way to hospital, NSW Police said.
Reports yesterday suggested the Rottweiler dog belonged to the child's family — either immediate or extended — and was seized by Inverell Shire Council rangers from their backyard, but police today were still unable to confirm who the dog belonged to.
The family were reportedly new to the area, having only recently moved in.
One Greaves St resident, who witnessed the aftermath of the attack, said she was in front of her house when a paramedic walked out of the neighboring property with the young girl in his arms.
She said the ambulance then sped away from the street with lights and sirens as two distressed women watched on.
"I just saw a young girl in an ambulance officer's arms, which was dreadful to see," she said.
"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.
The dog was removed from the family's backyard
"I didn't see much after that because I ran inside because it was a little too vivid to watch."
The woman said a man arrived at the house a short time after the incident and was also very distressed.
Initial sources said the attack happened during a family barbecue and that the dog was the family pet.
Neighbor Helen Bedford defended the family on social media and urged people not to jump to conclusions about the incident.
"These poor parents are beyond devastated and grieving," she wrote.
"I watched the ambos trying to help her ... I feel sick now. Please stop with the nasty comments, they don't need to see this at all."
Notice the neighbor didn't dispute that the dog belonged to the family.
An investigation is now underway by police from New England Police District and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
There were 1196 dog attacks reported to NSW local councils from July-September 2017, with 125 children attacked and 36 people hospitalised.
There were 1228 dog attacks during the same period last year, according to the Office of Local Government.
(NZ Herald - March 4, 2018)
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