INDIANAPOLIS -- The owner of a pit bull that police say seriously injured a 2-year-old girl last week says he is sorry for the attack, but he denies neighbors' assertions that it has shown viciousness in the past.

Police said one of Mark Hamilton's two pit bulls mauled Amaya Hess in the front yard of his home in the 1300 block of South Belmont Avenue on Friday. Hess was hospitalized with damaged eyes and other head injuries, and animal control officers confiscated both dogs.

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Video: Dog's Owner Says He's Sorry Girl Was Attacked

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Authorities said Hess and her mother were at Hamilton's home to visit his adult nephew. Police said a pit bull escaped from the house through an open front door, ran to the girl and plucked her from a stroller by her head.

Hamilton, who was not home Friday, said Tuesday that he will give authorities permission to euthanize the dog.

"I'm sorry about what happened," Hamilton told 6News' Jack Rinehart. "I hope the little girl is alright."

Hamilton, 41, said the dog didn't have an aggressive history.

"He didn't like strangers, (but) he's never just attacked anyone," he said.

Neighbors, however, told 6News that Hamilton's dogs have bitten people in the past. One neighbor, Martha Short, said one of the pit bulls bit her and clawed at her stomach.

The animal control division said it had been called to Hamilton's house on one dog-bite call before Friday.

After Friday's attack, police cited Hamilton for allegedly failing to provide proper care for his two pit bulls. The city's animal control division intends to keep the second pit bull until the care issues are addressed, Rinehart reported.