A young girl reaches out to pat her neighbour’s dog - an innocent gesture with terrible consequences.

Tammy Bradshaw and her partner Nathan Wallace from Rothwell, north of Brisbane, were at a neighbourhood gathering with their Neopolitan Mastiff pup Hank on October 21, 2016 when a seven-year-old girl approached for a pat.

In a split second - despite Ms Bradshaw having a tight hold on his collar - Hank nudged the girl’s face with his, catching her lip with his tooth.

The girl’s mother heard her cries and turned to find her daughter clutching her bleeding face. The girl would later require reconstructive surgery for her injury.

A witness, who was at the same house party and identified himself only as David, told 9news.com.au the incident "certainly wasn't a deliberate attack".

To him and others, it appeared nothing more than an unfortunate accident – but Hank has since been sentenced to death and his time is running out.

Hank and owner Tammy Bradshw (Image: Instagram)

A destruction order was made in May 2017, when Hank was seized by council and taken to the pound facility at Dakabin, run by the RSPCA, where he remains almost seven months later.

Moreton Bay Regional Council claims Ms Bradshaw had not complied fully with conditions set down when Hank was declared a dangerous dog in December 2016.

A council spokesperson said the destruction order was later made based on this failure to comply as well as the "seriousness of an unprovoked attack on a child", the risk associated with returning a dangerous animal to an environment where contact with other children was probable and "the likelihood [that] a further, sudden and unprovoked attack could not be sufficiently prevented".

Ms Bradshaw insists she complied with almost all the conditions of the dangerous dog declaration, which included the installation of a child-safe enclosure and muzzling Hank in public, but that she had not been able to have Hank desexed before he was seized.

The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) has twice upheld the council’s order that Hank be destroyed.

A QCAT ruling from August 2017 concluded "it is clear that Ms Bradshaw loves and cares for Hank and has responsibly taken steps to reduce the risk of Hank causing injury again… (however) the risk of another serious injury occurring is unacceptable".

The couple now hope to make a third appeal against the destruction order.

Jamie Fry, the council’s investigations officer assigned to Hank’s case at the time of the incident, told 9news.com.au that he was satisfied Hank did not pose a risk to community health and safety.

"I believed the dog needed to be muzzled when in a public place and (a dangerous dog declaration) is the only way I could enforce that," Mr Fry said.

"I said, 'as long as I don’t get any complaints and you get him desexed I’m not worried'."

By the time the destruction order was issued, Mr Fry was no longer working for the council.

Mr Fry further claimed when he spoke to the victim’s mother after the incident she did not want action taken against Hank.

The mother has since told The Courier-Mail she believes the incident was "not an accident".

"A child is the victim here and continues to be the victim with this ongoing process," she told the newspaper.

Hank and owner Tammy Bradshw (Image: Instagram)

While the legal battle between Ms Bradshaw and the Moreton Bay Regional Council continues, Hank is languishing in the Dakabin pound facility.

Staff must care for Hank inside his pen as he is only allowed out of his enclosure when Ms Bradshaw visits him.

Ms Bradshaw claims Hank’s health is suffering – but she doesn’t blame the RSPCA staff.

“The staff at Dakabin have been doing what they can. The carers love him and know how to deal with him,” Ms Bradshaw said.

A spokesperson for RSCPA Queensland said the staff had "tried very hard to stimulate Hank and keep giving him the best possible care while residing in the pens for such a long time".

"Unfortunately Hank’s behaviour towards others limits options for staff and volunteers in regard to regular exercise," the spokesperson said.

A petition to save Hank had amassed almost 17,000 signatures at the time of writing.

"It’s very emotional to get so much feedback and support behind it all but the case has blown out to be not just about Hank but about every other dog," Mr Wallace said, adding he and his partner had spent more than $20,000 on legal fees trying to save Hank.

"(This appeal) basically is our very last chance," Ms Bradshaw said.

"Council can go in the very next day and put him down. But I'm not giving up."