Pet Dogs Maul 5-Year-Old Girl Inside House While Playing

A 5-year-old girl was mauled by two dogs in a house in Southern Maryland on Friday, the state police said. The child was rushed to a hospital and was treated for the injuries.

Local police reported that the incident took place in a house in the 48000 block of Leeward Circle in the Lexington Park area of St. Mary’s County. The child was playing inside the house when she was first attacked by a family Rottweiler, and then by a Shar Pei mix that also belonged to the family. Originally the police identified the dogs as pit bulls, but on Sunday they corrected the identification of the dogs’ breeds.

The dogs attacked until "members of the community" were able to get into the house and separate the dogs from the child, local media reported. The child was flown by state police helicopter to Children’s National Medical Center in the district.

Animal control officials responded to the scene and took possession of the dogs. Authorities said they were investigating the incident and the fate of the dogs remain unknown.

In a similar incident last week, a 3-year-old girl was viciously attacked by her uncle's two pit bulls on Clayton Road in Schenectady, New York. The girl remained hospitalized due to her severe injuries. Identified as Charley Pierce, the child suffered injuries to her torso and leg area, according to city police spokesman Sgt. Matthew Dearing. Authorities said she had extensive muscle and nerve damage, in addition to black eyes, puncture wounds and lacerations on her scalp.

According to police, the child's uncle was facing eight charges - four for each dog. That includes state charges and city ordinance violations for "dangerous" and "unlicensed dogs."

Late last month, an elderly woman was hospitalized after three pit bulls escaped from a mobile home and attacked her publicly in Brooksville, Florida. The dogs had viciously bitten the woman on both legs. The owner surrendered his dogs for euthanasia.