Gatineau police are urging residents to learn the city's rules around dangerous dogs after a four-year-old girl was bitten on the face last week.

The girl was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after she was attacked by a pit bull on the evening of Nov. 8.

She had been playing with the dog at a home on rue Cinq-Mars, said Const. Andrée East, spokesperson with the Gatineau Police Service.

East said the girl's family was at home "babysitting" the dog at the time of the attack. They were not criminally charged, she said, but instead received four fines totalling more than $600.

The dog had no tag and was not sterilized, East said. There was also no sign in front of the home alerting people to its presence.

"Here in Gatineau, we have several criteria that we have to follow if you want to have those kinds of dogs," she said.

"Some of them were not followed by the person who was in charge of the dog at this moment."

Further fines possible

More fines could be laid against the pit bull's owner, East said.

She urged dog owners to visit the City of Gatineau's website to make sure they were compliant with the local policy.

"All the information is available," East said. "There's no reason for people to [not] know it."

The dog is now in the care of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.