4 bull terrier-cross dogs attack 7-year-old Japanese girl

New Zealand police are investigating whether to lay criminal charges after a 7-year-old Japanese girl was attacked by four dogs and left critically injured.

Police say the girl was attacked Monday by four Staffordshire bull terrier-cross dogs in a North Island town while her family visited friends who owned the animals. The dogs have been euthanized.

Hospital officials said Wednesday the girl was in critical but stable condition.

Police spokeswoman Kim Perks said investigators might not decide until next week whether to charge the dogs' owners or anyone else.

Fairfax Media reported that the girl, Sakurako Uehara, was enrolled at a Maori language immersion school in the town of Murupara for a month. The family was planning to return to Japan to sort out residency requirements for a longer stay.

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