Town shocked by fatal dog attack

Residents of a small town in the New South Wales Riverina are shocked by a dog attack this morning that killed a toddler and seriously injured her baby sister.A three-year-old girl was found dead and her 15-month-old sister is in Wagga Base Hospital with serious injuries after being attacked by four dogs at Whitton near Leeton.The female neighbour who was looking after the girls was also injured in the attack.The attack happened some time before 11:00am AEDT and neighbours were among those trying to rescue the injured.Whitton has a population of about 350 and police Inspector Tony Reneker says it is very bad news for the town. "Whitton is a small community and I'm sure that it'll affect a lot of people in that community," he said."It's a very, very sad occurrence and I feel for the family involved."Police originally said the dogs were family pets but they have now confirmed that the girls' parents had left them in the care of a friend at Whitton.Police describe the dogs as large cross-breeds and will apply to have the animals put down.Inspector Reneker says the dogs' owner is still in shock."Police haven't been able to speak to the owner of the dogs; she's still being treated at hospital," he said.The dead girl's name will be released when relatives are informed and police are preparing a report for the coroner.