A 2-year-old girl in Alvin was mauled to death by the family dog early Friday evening, the Brazoria County sheriff confirmed.

The attack occurred around 5 p.m. Friday on the 3900 block of Morning Dove Street in Alvin. The toddler was killed by the family dog, which is believed to be a mix of the leopard cur breed, a hunting hound dog.

"It's a terrible incident where the family dog attacked a 2-year-old. We have no idea why," said Brazoria Sheriff Charles Wagner. "It's been a long time since we've had anything like this happen. It's a tragedy for all involved."

The dog had no known history of violence or aggression, said Lt. Varon Snelgrove. The mother and children were returning home from a shopping trip and carrying in bags when the dog suddenly attacked the girl in the yard, he said. The dog's jaw locked in around her upper torso and throat and it all happened very quickly.

"There's nothing the family could have done," Snelgrove said. "It's just a horrific, horrific incident."

The sheriff's office is not releasing the name of the family or the victim at this time.

The Galveston County Medical Examiners will perform a routine autopsy. The dog was euthanized and will be tested for rabies.

Dog attacks are fairly common in the Houston area, but fatalities are rare. An 8-week-old infant was killed last year by two family dogs - Labrador retriever mix and a schnauzer mix.

Just last month in Spring, a pack of neighborhood pit bulls and a retriever attacked and bit a 13-year-old boy and a responding deputy. Police shot one of the pit bulls, but it survived.

In August, a Baytown woman was severely injured after being attacked by two dogs while she was babysitting.

Likewise, a 20-year-old Pearland woman was attacked by one of her parent's dogs in December and had to be transported to a hospital by helicopter. Police killed that dog during the response. Also in December, a 4-year-old boy was nearly killed by his aunt's pit bulls in Liberty.

In San Antonio, authorities recently reported a spate of five severe injuries from dog attacks during a three-week period in September. Last year, a pit bull ripped off the arm of an elderly San Antonio woman. The dog owners in that case received prison sentences.