A pet store assistant lost her lip in a dog attack at a "bring in your Rottweilers" promotion in West Auckland yesterday.

The attack happened about 11am at Animates in Westgate.

A horrified witness told theWeekend Herald he was talking to the dog's owner at the shop counter when the female assistant - believed to be in her early 20s - leant down to give the dog a treat.

"He just latched on to her face. It was horrific. Blood was just pouring out. One of the other girls said her lip was basically pulled off.

"On the floor was a tooth, either from the girl or the dog."

He said the owner pulled his dog away immediately and put him in the back of his car before going back inside to check on the woman.

The victim was taken to Waitakere Hospital by car and later transferred to Middlemore.

Spokeswoman Lauren Young said the woman was last night in the emergency department with facial injuries which were not thought to be life-threatening but might require attention from plastic surgeons.