Police in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, have detained a dog owner who allegedly attacked a mother in front of her two young children on Saturday on charges of picking quarrels and provoking troubles.

Police from the city's Yuhang district said in a social media posting late on Tuesday that the 34-year-old woman, surnamed Xu, was walking in her community with her 3-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son on Saturday evening when the dog, owned by a 31-year-old man surnamed Jin, started barking at her son.

She and Jin had an argument that soon turned violent, with the man slapping her face and punching her head.

A medical certificate Xu posted online showed that a finger on her left hand was fractured. Xu said in the post that she worked in the IT industry and the injury had seriously affected her ability to use a keyboard.

Police said efforts to crack down on criminal acts that cause public disorder will be stepped up.