Girl, 9, critically injured in dog attack in Phila.

A 9-year-old girl was hospitalized in critical condition after being attacked by a dog Friday morning in the Elmwood section of Southwest Philadelphia, police said.

An emergency call was placed at 11:36 a.m. in the 6800 block of Dicks Avenue, Officer Tanya Little said. The girl was at her babysitter's home when she opened a cage containing the dog, Little said. The dog then bit the girl in the face.

The girl was taken by a medic unit, which reported she had bites elsewhere on her body, to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Little said the wounds were not life-threatening. The dog, described as a pit bull mix, was surrendered by the owner to the Animal Care and Control Team of Philadelphia. - Robert Moran