Salina ? A family dog intervened to drive off two pit bulls who attacked and injured a 3-year-old Salina girl.

Ryan Forsberg said his daughter, Caitlyn, 3, had been playing Tuesday afternoon in the yard at his house with Osh Gosh, an 8-year-old golden retriever. The pit bulls belonging to neighbor Christopher Stone tunneled under a chain-link fence separating the back yards and attacked the girl.

Caitlyn was bitten on the face numerous times before Osh Gosh went on the attack, enabling the girl to break free and run screaming into the house.

Her father said Caitlyn suffered cuts all over her face and puncture wounds behind both ears.

“They basically just ripped her face up,” he said.

Forsberg said Caitlyn was in surgery for about three hours, with stitches needed in 18 places. Doctors reattached one eyelid and reconstructed the tear duct, and the other eyelid had to be stitched.

Forsberg and Caitlyn’s mother, Kellie Forsberg, also of Salina, spent the night at the hospital with their daughter. She was released Wednesday evening.

Stone, the owner of the pit bulls, was issued citations for having vicious dogs and for failure to have city tags and rabies vaccinations for one of them. Salina police Lt. Mike Sweeney said both dogs had been euthanized and checks were under way to determine if they were rabid.

Osh Gosh, bitten by the pit bulls, was swollen and sore but didn’t need medical attention.

“If it wasn’t for him, it probably would have been a lot worse than it is,” Ryan Forsberg said. “He’s kind of the hero of the family right now. We’ll have to treat him somehow.”