A five-year-old girl who had part of her nose bitten off by a dog on Thursday night is in a stable condition in hospital.
The girl was taken to the Children's Hospital Westmead after she was mauled by the bull arab-great dane cross in the front yard of a home on Bombala Street in Pendle Hill at 7.30pm.
Emergency services were called about 7.30pm, where they found the girl with facial injuries, including a significant injury to her nose.
Most of the girl's nose was ripped off during the attack.
Her injuries were non-life threatening, a police spokeswoman said on Friday night.
It is unclear whether the girl will lose her nose, or if reconstruction is an option.
The owner of the dog was a family friend who was visiting the girl's home in Bombala street where the attack took place.
No one witnessed the attack, but police suspect food may have been left in the vicinity of the child and the dog at the time.
"One of the things we will look at with this incident is that if the animal having food in close proximity is related to what's actually happened, Inspector Robert Toynton said.
"There's no direct witnesses to the animal actually biting the child however there was a carer in close proximity with another two males.
The dog was tethered to the front of the house after the attack as police questioned witnesses on Thursday night.
Officers from Holroyd Local Area Command are investigating the incident with the assistance of Holroyd Council.
The dog was seized by council workers. No decision has been made as to whether the dog will be put down.
Police advised parents to keep a close eye on their children when around animals.
