Girl, 2, suffers face wounds as third child in a week is attacked by dog

It was the third time in a week that a dog has bitten a child in Scotland.

The toddler, named locally as Gemma Horne, was attacked while visiting her uncle and aunt, Ian and Margaret Horne, in East Lothian.

The dog, thought to be either a collie or an alsatian, bit the girl in a garden in the seaside town of North Berwick on Saturday afternoon.

She suffered two puncture wounds to her face and was taken by her parents to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh.

She was kept in overnight for observation and a hospital spokesman said she was released yesterday afternoon.

Lothian and Borders Police confirmed the dog was still with its owners, who have not been identified, and that they were investigating.

Yesterday, the girl's relatives, who live in Glenburn Road, said: "We have no comment to make."

It it thought the dog did not belong to the family but to a friend who was also visiting.

Neighbours said they were surprised to hear about the incident. One woman, who did not want to be identified, said it was a "nice neighbourhood".

She said: "This sort of thing does not happen here. It it a nice area with responsible people and dog owners."

Another neighbour said: "I know the family. They are very nice. They work hard and are very pleasant.

Another said they understood the dog was owned by friends who had been visiting, adding: "There was a friend with an alsatian and a collie also there at the time, but we don't know what happened."

Last Tuesday, Toni Clannachan, ten, from Kilmarnock, needed more than 100 stitches after she was bitten in the face by a Japanese akita dog as she played in a friend's garden. The owner, Gaynor McCabe, has been reported to the procurator fiscal.

Rhianna Kidd, ten, was attacked by two rottweilers as she rode her bike in Dryburgh Street, Dundee, on Sunday of last week. She underwent emergency surgery and was treated for a fractured jaw and had plastic surgery. Her arms and legs were also injured and the dogs were later destroyed. The owner was charged under section three of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 for failing to keep the dogs under control.

SNP MSP Christine Grahame recently introduced a member's bill to amend the existing Dangerous Dogs Act.

The new law was passed by the Scottish Parliament earlier this year and is being implemented by local authorities. Under the new Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act, councils will have to compile a list of potentially dangerous dogs.

A written notice will be issued to owners of dogs that have been out of control and councils will have the authority to order the animals' destruction if they fail to comply with safety measures.It also requires owners to properly train and control their dogs and be responsible for any dangerous behaviour.

Owners who fail to comply could be forced to keep their pet on a lead at all times, have it neutered, attend special training courses or face a fine of up to 1,000.