Family Dog Kills Four-Year-Old Girl While She Was Playing

A four-year-old girl was fatally mauled by the family dog while playing in an apartment in Drosa, a town in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt. The animal is believed to be an American Staffordshire Terrier, a breed known for its muscular build.

Bystanders tried to separate the dog and the child, but could not prevent the toddler from sustaining fatal injuries. A doctor who arrived at the scene pronounced the girl dead. The dog has been taken to an animal shelter, though authorities have not disclosed what will happen to it.

Police have launched an investigation into the roles of the girl's 32-year-old mother and a 30-year-old acquaintance, examining whether the attack could have been prevented. The mayor of Östernienburger Land, the municipality that includes Drosa, told a regional broadcaster that the family dog had been involved in a previous biting incident but had passed a temperament test afterward.