My sister attended a friend's birthday party when she was about 6 years old. Was in the garden picking flowers when the "oh so gentle" german shepherd mauled the side of her face, almost tearing her ear off. She had been over at this friend's house before and had meet the dog.

I think I was more affected by it when the mother drove my sister to our house to collect my mother and I to take her to the doctor. She was sitting there with a towel pressed against the side of her head. Lucky all healed OK.

Apparently the dog had grown up with the children, and probably thought it was protecting it's territory but dogs are animals and all have a bit of the wild in them.