Houston, Texas - A Texas toddler suffered severe injuries to her face and head, and her mother was also hurt, in an attack by a pit bull the mother was watching for her boyfriend, police said.
The attack happened on Monday in an apartment in the town of League City, about 40km south-east of Houston.
When police arrived, the dog was in the process of mauling the two-year-old child, as the mother made efforts to ward it off.
Officers shot the dog, and the child was flown to a nearby hospital, the League City Police Department said in a statement.
The mother was also taken to hospital, with injuries to her hands and arms, police said.
Last year, a California woman was fatally mauled by a pack of pit bulls while walking near her home in Southern California. - Reuters