TOPSHAM — Police responded to a Katie Lane home Wednesday morning after a dog bit a 5-year-old Brunswick girl.

The dog’s owners were babysitting the child, who was reportedly petting the 1-year-old German shepherd mixed breed, when it bit her, causing severe lacerations to her face, according to a Topsham Police press release.

Animal Control Officer Kerry Libby responded to the 11:32 a.m. call along with Topsham Fire and Rescue personnel, and Life Flight transported the child to Maine Medical Center in Portland.

The male dog had shown no signs of aggression or agitation toward the child, and did not have a history of such behavior, according to police. The canine, whose owners are friends with the child’s parents and cooperated with the investigation, was taken to the Androscoggin Animal Hospital. Its vaccinations were up to date, police said.

No criminal charges are pending. The dog’s owners opted to have their pet euthanized, police said, and for the dog’s brain to be tested for rabies by the state Department of Health and Human Services lab.

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