A McKeesport police dog was likely being protective Wednesday morning when it bit a 6-year-old girl, her mother and the officer who handles the dog, police said.

The K-9, Nero, was taken off-duty while the police department investigates why it lunged at the girl and her mother, who had opened the back door of the squad car it was riding in.

The girl was released from Children's Hospital, where she was treated for the bite on her abdomen, police said; the officer was treated at McKeesport Hospital for bites he suffered on his forearm when he tried to pull the dog away.

The girl's mother, who was bitten on the hand, declined medical treatment. Police would not identify the victims.

The officer, Fran Angert, was driving near 30th and Rockwood streets about 7:45 a.m. when he saw some relatives and stopped to talk with them.

He learned the 6-year-old girl had missed the bus and was arranging to give her a "courtesy ride" to school, as McKeesport officers sometimes do, Lt. Tim Hanna said.

As he was talking to a relative through the driver's side window, the girl's mother walked to rear door and opened it without warning, her daughter standing in front of her.

"The dog went forward and bit the child in the abdomen and caught the mother's finger in the same bite," Lt. Hanna said. The officer rushed out of the car and pulled the dog away from the girl, suffering a bite himself.

Neighbors who heard the commotion and came to their windows said they saw Officer Angert pulling the dog's leash and heard the girl yelling, "I'll be all right, I'll be all right."

They said the officer's swift action may have saved the girl's life.

"The officer never let the dog out of the car," on which was written "Caution, K-9 Unit," Lt. Hanna said.

The woman later told police she didn't know what prompted her to open the door.

Lt. Hanna said Nero, a Belgian Malinois with five years on the force, has not had problems in the past.

"The dog's main focus is to protect the handler," the lieutenant said. "A civilian went up to a police vehicle that says 'Caution, K-9' on it and without the officer's prior knowledge, opened the door."

The dog is one of five the department uses in drug investigations, in apprehending suspects and sniffing out explosives, among other roles. The dogs are trained routinely, Lt. Hanna said, and Officer Angert has more than 10 years of experience handling K-9s.

Lt. Tim Bliss, who oversees the dogs, took Nero back to the officer's house after the attack.

"Obviously we're investigating what happened before any decisions are made about what we'll do with the dog," Lt. Hanna said.

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