Girl, 7, back home after Halloween dog attack

Beautiful Desai has had two operations on her legs after a dog savagely attacked her.

A 7-year-old girl mauled by a dog at a neighbour's property while trick-or-treating on Halloween has returned home after two surgeries on her leg wounds.

Beautiful Desai was out with her brother's partner, Rere Munroe, about 6pm on Friday when the attack happened just five doors from their Papakura home.

"It was the second house we went to. She was all dressed up and excited like all little kids are," Miss Munroe said. "I went up to the front door, it was open and I knocked on the door.

"When the lady came out Beautiful came up and stood beside me and said 'trick or treat'. Then from inside the house the dog rushed out and got on to the back of Beautiful's legs.

"It was a massive shock."

Beautiful held on to Miss Munroe while the male Rottweiler-crossbreed had her legs. Miss Munroe couldn't do anything but hold on to Beautiful to stop her from falling over.

"The male owner came out and bashed the dog. But the dog was so powerful he came back and got on to Beautiful's inner thigh."

The man eventually got the dog off and took him away. Miss Munroe picked up the 7-year-old and ran back home along Tasman Drive.

"She was screaming."

Beautiful was taken to Counties Care, just five minutes away, but staff said they needed to go to Middlemore Hospital.

Beautiful's mother had been at the hospital with her until the little girl returned home yesterday.

Miss Munroe said Beautiful was dressed up in a witch dress, a fairy crown and a Batman belt.

"A bit of everything."

Miss Munroe said she was feeling angry and shaken.

Auckland Council animal management manager Tracey Moore said the dog's owners took it to a vet on Saturday morning and it was subsequently euthanised. It had yet to be determined whether charges would be laid.