OMG, that's horrible!!! Did your niece get medical attention? Is she going to need plastic surgery? What kind of dog is it? Did animal control come? I know where I live they will atleast temporarily quarentine the animal until they investigate & the animal owner doesn't get a choice...

I had a dog that was a husky/chow mix. He was a great dog for years. He had a sore on his back that we didn't notice right away & a neighbor kid touched it & he turned around & nipped the kid in the face...just missing his eye...he was quarentined & treated for the sore....

He went on for many more years...as he got older he started having more pain in his legs...

My daughter Lily was 3. She walked by him...not touching him or nothing...I saw the whole thing...he went from a sleeping position to having a hold of her whole face before I could even jump off the couch.
He had his bottom jaws on her right cheek & his top jaws on her jugular
He let go almost as quick as he bit her but I had to have him put down at that point...it sucked but I had to have him put to sleep after that...
Lily fortunately only needed a few stitches & has a small scar but is ok.
She doesn't show any fear of animals from it either since then but it scared the crap out of me.

Also my oldest daughter was attacked by a neighbors dog awhen she was in 2nd or 3rd grade when she was walking to her bus stop...
They reacted alot like your husband did actually blaming our daughter even though their dog jumped their fense & attacked her at her bus stopped.

We have alot of pit fighting that goes on around here. I love animals but I hate having these in our neighborhood...

As for your husband...tell him to take his dang dog & shove it up his back side if that's how little respect he's going to show you, he's not worth the oxygen he's taking up