Woman Bitten By Pet Dog Multiple Times While Protecting Child From Canine

A woman suffered life-changing injuries while protecting a child from a dog attack in England on Sunday. Another woman, who was helping her, suffered minor injuries after the pet dog attacked her.

The child was with the two women at a home in Hoylake Crescent, Bilborough, when the incident happened Sunday morning. When the pet dog, an American bulldog, tried to attack the child, the duo intervened. The canine attacked them on the face, arms and stomach, BBC reported.

Another person, who was inside the house at the time, stabbed the dog with a kitchen knife. Both women were rushed to a nearby hospital. One of them suffered serious injuries, police said. The injured dog had to be put down.

It is not known if the child is related to the women.

Neighbors of the victim said they were "amazed" when they learned about the incident as the dog seemed "friendly."

"I didn't see anything at all - but my sister came round this morning to tell me there had been a dog attack on the street," Laura Risden, a local resident, told Nottinghamshire Live. "I was shocked. I've never heard of anything like this happening since I've lived here. It's definitely a worry given how close to home it is."

David Earnshaw, another neighbor, told Nottinghamshire Live: "My daughter text me this morning to tell me it all happened a few houses from me - but I didn't hear anything at the time. Any sort of dog attack is pretty shocking. Unfortunately its more to do with how it is trained when these things happen. It's very sad to hear about."

Police said the "devastating" attack could have been far worse if the dog had attacked the child. Authorities urged residents to be careful with pets around children.

"It's devastating that a woman has suffered such serious injuries caused by her own pet, but we can only be grateful that it didn't result in far worse consequences had the animal been able to attack the child," Detective Inspector Jon Kerry said, BBC reported.

"Although we don't believe that the animal was a banned breed, this is a stark reminder to all pet owners not to take any chances with animals around children, particularly if they have ever displayed violent tendencies," he added.

The age of the child was not revealed by the police. The condition of the woman who was seriously injured remains unclear.