An Alberta woman is thanking her neighbour after she stepped in and rescued her seven-year-old daughter from a loose dog that was attacking a group of children as they waited for a school bus.

Barbara Smith says her daughter Isabella was left with marks on her head and shoulder after the attack, and she believes the injuries would have been much worse if not for her neighbour, Diane Chavoyer.

鈥淚f it wasn鈥檛 for her, my daughter would have no face,鈥 Smith said, recounting the incident outside her home near St. Paul.

Chavoyer says she was waiting with her two young children when the dog ran up to several children and started 鈥渘ipping at every kid it could find.鈥

She said the dog 鈥済rabbed a kid and shook her, grabbed another kid and shook her,鈥 Chavoyer says she held her own kids behind her, but then saw Isabella on the ground and ran to the rescue.

鈥淚 just seen blood coming down her face and her blonde hair turned red,鈥 Chavoyer said.

鈥淚 thought she was dead.鈥

Chavoyer says she punched and kicked the dog but it would not let go. Eventually, she roared like 鈥渁 momma bear鈥 and chased the dog away, she says.

The dog鈥檚 owner says she鈥檚 鈥渆xtremely upset鈥 about what happened, but that her dog Bingo is just 鈥渏umpy鈥 and that he 鈥渨anted to play.鈥

The owner said she has been issued a $250 bylaw fine in relation to the incident.

With a report from CTV Edmonton鈥檚 Angela Jung