Child seriously hurt after being attacked by father's police dog in training

A child was seriously injured after he was bitten by his father's police dog in training while at their Calgary home on Saturday.

Police said at 1:40 p.m., a canine unit officer was in thebackyard of his home with his police service dog in training.

The officer was grooming the dog on his deck,when his young son came outside and was bitten.

His son was taken to a hospital with serious injuries and has since been released.

The dog has been moved to the Calgary police kennels.

"We are very concerned for our member and his family who were involved in this incident," said Insp. Nancy Farmer of Calgary police in an emailed news release on Sunday.

Being at home with their handlers during their time off is critical to developing a strong bond between the dog and their officer.- Insp. Nancy Farmer, Calgary Police Service

Farmer said while police take the incident seriously, it's also important to recognize the role police dogs play in the service.

"These animals require a high level of socialization, and being at home with their handlers during their time off is critical to developing a strong bond between the dog and their officer."

There are 22 police service dogs in Calgary's police canine unit, and police say it's been standard practice to house police dogs at home with handlers since the 1960s when the unit was first established.

Police said an event like this one is considered to be very rare.

The incident is under investigation by police and Calgary Community Standards will also be conducting a separate review. The province's director of law enforcement was also notified, police said.