The uncle of a six-year-old attacked by dogs has described hearing screams and seeing another relative try to lift her to safety as one of the animals bit onto his leg.
Laquarna Chapman Palmer suffered chest and abdominal injuries in the attack in Woodridge, south of Brisbane, on Monday afternoon.
Her uncle Clint Chapman said he was watching TV when he heard "heard screams" and ran to help.
"I saw my brother (Laquarna's other uncle, Reece) and my little niece over the fence. I saw him trying to throw her back over and the dogs were just biting onto his leg," he said.
"She must have been on the fence but then (got) into their yard.
"I didn't know what to do, I just called the ambulance."
Laquarna was taken to Queensland Children's Hospital is in a serious but stable condition.
A man was also taken to hospital with leg injuries.
"They did a keyhole surgery to check for internal bleeding. She should be alright … she sounded good when I spoke to her on the phone last night," Mr Chapman said.
"I asked her, 'Are you in pain' and she's like, 'No'."
Owner of dogs 'distraught'
The neighbour who owns the dogs, Matthew Hinds, said his family was "distraught".
"We never pictured our dogs would hurt anybody. We just hope there's a speedy recovery," he said.
"We believe the child was playing with our son who was playing in our backyard. We don't know what's happened, we just heard the dogs.
"We went out the back, helped get the little girl back over her fence, helped get the uncle back over the fence, separated the dogs and called the pound."
Mr Hinds said his family made the decision to have the dogs put down.
"It was a hard decision, but it was the right decision," he said.
"We made the decision on the grounds that we've got a little niece, we've got a little nephew on the way, I've got a 10-year-old son."
Logan City Council put two dogs down, confirming in a statement neither of the two "Bull Arab type" dogs were registered or known to the council.
"Today, in the interests of public safety, the two dogs were swiftly and humanely euthanised," the council said.
"Council will continue to advocate for tougher dangerous dog legislation, as well as sharing with relevant stakeholders all information relating to the location of regulated menacing or dangerous dogs in the City of Logan."
Queensland Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Wheeler said the incident was "absolutely horrendous".
"There will be obviously a review of what's occurred," he said.
"A dog, particularly a large dog, and a young child, we know that can be a really catastrophic outcome.
"Our thoughts are with the young girl her family and her friends, and we wish her a speedy recovery," Acting Deputy Commissioner Wheeler said.
Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers, whose electorate of Rankin includes Woodridge, said his heart went out to the little girl and her family.
"As the dad of a six-year-old girl myself, I can only imagine the worry that her loved ones have right now," he said.
Mr Chalmers said he wanted to thank and "deeply appreciated the courage" of the man who helped the young girl.
