What are Australia's most dangerous dog breeds?

What are Australia's most dangerous dog breeds?

A LITTLE girl has died after she was mauled by a dog in central Victoria, two hours east of Melbourne.

Emergency services were called to Neerim Junction, in Gippsland, just before 6.30am this morning to reports the 14-month-old had been bitten on the face.

An Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman said paramedics from a road crew and an air ambulance attempted to save the little girl but she died at the scene.

The girl was bitten on the face by a six-year-old German wirehaired pointer, Victoria Police confirmed.

The dog was the family’s pet and the mum, who tried to intervene to stop the attack, was left with bite injuries.

Victoria Police Sergeant Dean Waddell said the mother was injured on the hand and leg by the dog while attempting to save her baby.

“Mum’s tried to step in and she’s pulled the dog away,” he told reporters.

“She’s tried everything to save her child. It’s devastating. It’s a tragedy.”

Baw Baw Shire Council Mayor Joe Gauci said the family had consented for the dog to be destroyed.

The family had moved to the small country town just three months ago, according to the local mayor.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said officers spoke to people who might’ve witnessed the incident.

“As you can imagine it’s quite an emotionally charged scene,” Victoria Police said.

The girl sustained life-threatening injuries and paramedics worked on her for two hours but she died at the scene.

The dog has been seized by Baw Baw Shire Council and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

In a statement, the local council confirmed the dog had been taken and locked at the Municipal Animal Pound.

“Council expresses our sincere condolences to the family that have tragically lost their child as a result of a dog attack earlier this morning. Our thoughts are with the family and the tight-knit Neerim Junction community during this difficult time,” council CEO Alison Leighton said.

The council said it was engaging relevant support agencies to assist the community.

The girl’s death comes five months after a one-year-old girl was mauled to death by a rottweiler in Inverell in northern NSW.

Kamillah Jones was being pushed in a stroller by her mother in March when the dog attacked her.

Emergency services quickly arrived at the site of the tragic assault in Greaves St, but found the young child suffering critical injuries.

She was raced to Inverell District Hospital but died on the way.

Inverell local Mindy Davis was at the hospital when she heard Kamillah’s parents screaming with grief.

“We were right next to it all in the emergency ward when they tried tirelessly to resuscitate her,” she wrote on Facebook.

“It was heartbreaking hearing the parents screaming when she passed away.”

Also in March, a 10-year-old girl was saved by neighbours after a dog “went berserk” and attacked her.

Jimmy Baird and his wife Kerrie ran out of their suburban Berwick home to rescue the girl and found her “covered in blood”.

“It was out of control, the dog was going berserk. We distracted the dog while we got the girl out.”

Mr Baird and another man went around the side of the house to get the dog’s attention while the girl escaped. He said she likely wouldn’t be alive if they hadn’t got there when they did.

“I’m glad we were there because the young girl probably wouldn’t have survived,” Mr Baird said.

The child suffered serious injuries including bites and lacerations and is believed to have lost an ear in the attack. She was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a serious condition.

The German wirehaired pointer involved in this morning’s attack isn’t in the top five most reported dog attacks in Australia.

The top five include staffordshire bull terrier, Australian cattle dog, german shepherd, rottweiler and the labrador retriever.

While German wirehaired pointers aren’t typically aggresive dogs, they were originally bred to be a hunting dog.

According to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, around 13,000 people each year attend hospital emergency departments in Australia for dog bite injuries. Children under the age of five are most at risk, and are often bitten on the head, face and neck.