THE parents of a six-day-old baby girl fatally mauled in a horrific dog attack have spoken of their devastation and grief following their daughter’s tragic death.

Eliza-Mae Mullane had been home less than three days when she was attacked by the family’s Alaskan malamute, suffering horrific injuries.

Sharon John and Patrick Mullane said their little girl “will always be in our hearts and thoughts” and they would always cherish the time they had together.

In a statement released to the Mirror, they said no words could come close to describing how they were feeling over the loss.

“Even though she was an important part of our family for such a short period of time, Eliza-Mae will always be in our hearts and thoughts, and we will cherish the little time we were able to share with her.

“She was a dearly loved daughter, sister, grand-daughter and niece.

“She brought joy into our family, and losing her like this has cast the most horrible shadow over all of us.”

They went on to thank the community for the support they had received before asking for privacy to grieve.

The baby had reportedly spent time in intensive care after being born last Wednesday.

Police seized the family’s Alaskan malamute after the incident, in the village of Pontyberem in Camarthenshire, south Wales.

It is understood that the baby’s father, Patric Mullane, had purchased the dog at the local pub.

Neighbour Patricia Punter told reporters that a weeping Ms John had run into her house shouting, “I don’t know what to do’’.

“It was terrible — I’ve never heard anything like it,” she said.

“Sharon was in a state of shock and just screaming. She just kept on saying, ‘The dog ate my baby’s head. He’s blaming me for it — the baby’s gone’.

“God only knows what has gone on in there.”

The dog, named Nisha, was five or six years old “but looked older”, Ms Punter said.

“I think it may have been treated badly in the past. (Ms John) had only brought the baby home in the last week. It’s it just awful — they loved their dogs as much as their children.”

Neighbour Jennifer Brown caught Nisha after spotting the animal wandering the street after the attack and handed it over to police.

“It’s a big dog and white around the mouth — but I didn’t see anything that caught my eye to say anything had gone on,” she said.

Alaskan malamutes were originally bred as sled dogs in the Artic, but have become popular family pets. They have a reputation for being gentle and friendly.

Family friend Gemma Prosser, 22, said the death was “heartbreaking”, adding: “One minute they had a bundle of joy in their arms, the next minute they have lost their little girl in such a terrible way.”

Dyfed Powys police said the exact cause of death could not be confirmed until a post mortem examination had being carried out.

Police were treating the death as a “tragic incident’’ and Ms John and Mr Mullane were not being treated as suspects, a spokesman said.

This latest tragedy comes just one week after another British baby, 11-month-old Ava-Jayne Corless, was killed by a dog as she slept.