Pet Dog Bites 8-Year-Old Child Playing Outside Home, Canine's Owners Booked

An 8-year-old girl in India was seriously injured after her neighbor's dog bit her on her hands while she was playing outside her home.

The incident took place in the southern city of Bengaluru, and the victim was identified as Pavni Shriya, media outlet Bangalore Mirror reported. The owners of the canine were booked following a complaint from the victim's parents.

Authorities said the pet owners -- identified as Aastha and Siddarth -- previously had an argument with Shriya's mother as she had complained about the dog. The victim's mother, Bhagyalakshmi, had claimed the dog used to roam around her child and other children when they played outside.

According to the complaint filed by the victim's family, the dog bit the child on her hands. The mother, who saw the attack, rushed to her daughter's aid and shooed the animal away. Bhagyalakshmi said when she complained to the pet owners, they started arguing with her, Bangalore Mirror reported.

The victim's mother then rushed her to a hospital for treatment. She also went to a police station and filed a complaint against Aastha and Siddarth. The police lodged the complaint and began an investigation into the incident. No arrests were made in the case and the fate of the dog remains unclear.

In December 2020, a dog owner was charged after his pet canine attacked and killed a newborn baby in New Zealand. The incident took place in October when the 1-day-old baby was at his Hamilton home. The newborn's mother was in the bathroom when the dog mauled the baby and dragged him to the garden. The canine -- a large Rottweiler -- also tried to bury the child. The newborn, identified as Jaxon Johnson, died in Waikato Hospital 24 hours after being attacked by the dog. The owner was charged with owning a dog that causes serious injury/death to any person, an offense against Section 58 of the Dog Control Act 1996.