A seven-year-old girl bitten by a rottweiler after bravely lifting up her toddler sister to save her from attack says she does not want the dog killed.

Ella Andrews’ first thought was to protect her 18-month-old sister Emily when she saw the big dog run at them as they walked towards a playground at Piara Waters Football Pavilion on Monday evening.

“I thought it was going to bite my little sister’s legs off,” she said. “It bit me on the right arm once and then it let me go. “It was going to bite me again but someone grabbed its collar and pulled it away.”

Ella’s stepmother and bystanders rushed to help the little girl, who had a big gash on her right arm, and provided first aid until an ambulance arrived.

Camera Icon Ella, 7, suffered a gash to her arm in the dog attack in a Piara Waters park. Credit: Supplied.

Another person at the park took the dog owner’s details.

Ella had surgery on Tuesday and now has more than a dozen stitches on her forearm. But doctors have told her parents she should fully recover and she was released from hospital today.

Ella said she would still go to parks but would be more careful around dogs.

But she said she did not want anything bad to happen to the dog that bit her.

Her father Nigel Andrews said the family did not want the dog put down but wanted the owners held accountable. He said rangers had spoken to the owners.

“It could have been so much worse, we’re glad she’s okay and we’re very grateful to everyone who helped her on Monday,” he said.

Dogs are not supposed to be unrestrained at the oval. Mr Andrews said there was football and cricket training on at the time and there were a lot of children playing.