Pinole girl hospitalized after being attacked by bulldog

PINOLE, Calif. (KGO) -- A little girl is recovering from her injuries after a family dog bit her in the face.

It happened inside a home on Jones Street in Pinole, where the 3-year-old was bitten in the face by an American bulldog, which is owned by the girl's uncle.

"What we were told is the dog was alone in the house with the little girl. There were other adults in the house, just not in the room at the time. We're still gathering information to find out if there was any provocation or this just kind of happened naturally," explained Steve Burdo, with Contra Costa Animal Services.

According to Contra Costa Animal Services, the girl was taken to Children's Hospital in Oakland for treatment of two one-inch lacerations to her face. Her injuries are not considered life-threatening.

Meantime, as is routine in a case like this, the 3-year-old male dog was taken to animal services in Martinez, where it will be held for a 10-day quarantine.

During that time, the dog will be tested for rabies and assessed for his behavior.

"What we like to tell people is provocation or not, when it comes to young children, animals should be trained to be around children. And these incidents should be avoidable," said Burdo.

At the end of the quarantine period, the dog's owner could decide to surrender the animal or petition to have it returned to him.