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Police say they are “still not in a position” to name a baby girl who died after being attacked by a dog.
The family of the six-month-old child have been left “devastated” after the attack in Daventry, Northamptonshire, on Friday night, police have said.
Officers and paramedics were called to the address at 10.30pm where they tried to resuscitate the infant.
The baby was taken to Northampton General Hospital where she was confirmed dead, Northamptonshire Police said.
The dog was destroyed at the scene.
A relative who was looking after the child also suffered bite wounds as she tried to wrestle the animal off.
In a statement, police said: “Northamptonshire Police is still not in a position to name the six-month-old baby girl who died after being attacked by a dog at an address in Morning Star Road, Daventry, on Friday night.
“In terms of the next stage involving the dog which carried out the fatal attack, the dog will also be subject to a forensic post mortem at the Royal Veterinary College tomorrow.
“It will also be examined by dog legislation officers, including officers from Northamptonshire Police and a national dog legislation officer in order to identify the breed.
“DNA can also be taken from the animal to help determine the breed.”
Detective Sergeant Gary Baker, who is leading the investigation, said: “This was a deeply distressing and tragic incident and our thoughts are with the family who have been left devastated by the events of last night.
“Incidents such as these are extremely rare in this country, but that will be of little comfort to the relatives of this tragically young victim.
“The family have requested that they be left to grieve at this difficult time.”
Daventry Conservative MP Chris Heaton-Harris said the officers who went to the scene in Morning Star Road were left traumatised at the “horrific incident” they witnessed.
He said: “Obviously my thoughts and prayers are with the family. I would especially like to thank the officers who attended the scene last night.
“I understand they attempted to revive the baby girl and are badly affected by what they experienced.”
Mr Heaton-Harris was speaking after he had been briefed on the attack by the Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner Adam Simmonds.
It is understood the force have dealt with 62 instances of attacks involving dogs in the past two years.
The tragedy has sparked calls for new, tougher rules to be put in place to prevent potentially dangerous dogs from being housed in family homes.
Chris Over, a Conservative councillor on Daventry District Council, said the death was a “wake-up call” to bring back dog licensing.
He said: “This is shocking. This is a terrible situation – the trauma for the family must be awful and our hearts go out to them.
“It is a wake-up call for people to make certain that when they select a dog it is a breed that has a good reputation and that they are able to control the dog.
“It seems like this dog couldn’t be controlled and restrained by the relative who intervened.
“This tragedy highlights that responsible dog ownership is something we must encourage.
“There have been a number of incidents like this around the country in recent times. It seems to me that there should be some kind of legislation in place. Dog licences would mean that hopefully only responsible people would own dogs.”
Dog owners in Britain used to be required to have a licence but they were widely ignored and eventually abolished in 1987.
There have been other incidents of dogs attacking young children in nearby villages.
In December 2012, Milly-Anne Hemley, from the village of Long Buckby just four miles from Daventry, lost part of her leg when her Staffordshire bull terrier bit her as she got ready for school, according to reports.
The schoolgirl, who was 10 at the time, had to have her leg amputated at the calf following the mauling.
Phil Morris, spokesman for East Midlands Ambulance Service, said: “We received an emergency call from the Northamptonshire Police on Saturday night at 10.31pm reporting that a baby girl had been attacked by a dog at an address in Daventry.
“We responded by dispatching three clinicians in fast response cars, a double crewed ambulance and a doctor. Crews provided emergency treatment to the baby who was then taken to the Northampton General Hospital.
“Although our staff did everything possible, tragically, the baby did not survive her injuries.
“This was a very distressing incident and we offer our deepest sympathies to the family. Our crews were understandably saddened by their experiences and we are providing support to all colleagues who responded.”
