A dog ripped apart its own family, attacking one of its most fragile members – a two-year-old girl.

Now, Shiba the “watchdog” will be put down, while the toddler recovers from bites on her face and ear.

The St. Joe County Humane Society tells us that so far this year there have been too many dog bites – 211.

They are encouraging dog owners to learn from this story.

Carolyn Metheny’s tears keep coming down as she thinks about life without her dog Shiba and watching her 2-year-old granddaughter Bridget suffer.

“We kept her away. We tried to. I never thought this would happen,” said Metheney.

But, it did and Metheny says it is one of her worst nightmares come true.

Shiba, who has been known to not take grief from children, was let inside the house while Bridget was there.

Metheny’s son and Bridget’s dad, Jesse Stacy, says it was all an accident.

“My niece let the dog in and didn't know. She was eating or something and the dog bit her,” said Stacy.

The St. Joseph County Humane Society says they are worried that Shiba was not vaccinated for rabies.

We asked the family about it and they all say they are not worried since she never left the front yard.

Now, Shiba is gone forever; she will be quarantined, euthanized and sent for testing at the Indiana Board of Health.

Metheny says she wishes this was all just a bad dream.

The St. Joe County Humane Society tells us they are holding several other animals who were not vaccinated by their owners.

They say this is a serious issue – it is dangerous and it is against the law.

If caught, you will be fined 50 dollars by the county and an additional 75 by the state.