VIDEO: Mother of Pitbull Attack Victim Defends Dog

The mother of the Tuesday morning, is defending the dog that reportedly attacked her daughter. 

Vanessa Martens, the mother of Grace Martens, says the dog was "just playing" when he bit the 5-year-old.

"He's not a vicious dog," Vanessa Martens says. "...He was just playing and then he got scared ... It was a huge accident." 

Martens discusses the events of Tuesday morning in the video above. 

Police were called to an Island Avenue home Tuesday morning for a pitbull attack. The girl was dropped off to see her mother, who happened to be at the house visiting. The mother does not own the dog. 

According to Martens, the girl was playing tug-of-war with the pitbull, a 1-year-old puppy, when he bit her arm. 

A 26-year-old neighbor, Wyatt Joaquin, witnessed the attack and ran to assist the girl. Joaquin tells WPRI he jumped over the fence to help. 

The girl sustained serious injuries to her arm and was transported by Portsmouth Rescue to Newport Hospital and later to Hasbro Children's Hospital. She has since been treated and released from the hospital. 

Grace now wears a cast on her arm, which her mother says is protecting four stitches. However, she was back playing at the house Wednesday morning, smiling and laughing. She also played with a neighbor's dog just a day after the attack. 

"I'm fine with dogs, but not vicious dogs," Grace says while holding her doll. "I want the dog back when my cast is off." 

In accordance with state law, the for 14 days at the Potter League for Animals. The dog's owner could be asked to attend a vicious dog hearing in the future. 

Martens says she wants to temporarily board the pitbull at . There, the child's mother wants the puppy to undergo training before he is back playing in the yard.