One of the most distressing scenarios for any parent is when their beloved pet attacks their young child, resulting in profound scarring.

TikTok user Klara Tsetkin was confronted with a horrifying situation when her cocker spaniel, Bart, attacked her young daughter, Milana.

The mother's decision to keep her dog after the attack has caused a split in opinion on the internet, with some advocating for pet adoption or euthanasia.

Despite the incident that took place three years ago, Tsetkin, a resident of the United States, maintains that her dog never intentionally attacked her toddler. She asserts that the dog acted in self-defence during the accident.

During the incident, Bart was recuperating from an unspecified illness and had found a hiding spot in the family's home.

At the time of the attack, Milana was only three years old and didn't comprehend that Bart was experiencing distress. As was her habit, she tried to play with the dog.

"He was very sick! And tried to hide under the bed... His hind legs gave out and he couldn't crawl away," Tsetkin explained on TikTok, adding: "My three-year-old daughter did not understand that the dog needs to rest today and not touch him."

Without her mother's knowledge, the toddler started to climb onto Bart, causing the dog to react in pain and lash out, as it was still in a weakened state due to its illness.

During the incident, Milana sustained a facial bite and had to receive medical attention, including several stitches.

Although Milana's physical injuries have healed, the incident created a rift within the family, leading to Tsetkin's separation from her husband, who disagreed with her decision to keep Bart.

After sharing her story and explaining her decision, the mother of two received a divided response from the internet, with many TikTok users expressing anger in their comments on the platform.

One commenter went as far as to suggest that the dog might harm someone else in the future, and emphasized their point by writing: "So how are you gonna feel after the next attack? This is insanely irresponsible. Give the dog away to a responsible owner. if you can't put it down."

Another commenter echoed the sentiment, stating that the mother had jeopardized the safety of her family, and wrote: "At the end of the day, it's really sad that they chose their dog over their own daughter's safety."

On the other hand, some TikTok users have been more understanding of the difficult circumstances and have argued that the incident was an isolated event, and not indicative of Bart's general behavior.

One TikTok user commented that the incident served as yet another example of how women are expected to be flawless mothers.

They said: "This happened a few years ago and y'all still bring it up and blame on the mom. She do the best she could. Don't put lots of pressure on her."

Some users expressed their appreciation towards Tsetkin for her decision to keep her dog, despite the unfortunate incident, and also congratulated her on her daughter's recovery.

One user even wrote: "I'm so glad you kept the dog…Your daughter is very beautiful!"