Barbara Streisand's dog bites flight attendant

Los Angeles: Oscar-winning actress Barbara Streisand's Coton de Tulear dog has bitten a flight attendant on a private jet.

The singer, 73, was headed to Washington to lobby for funding for the Women's Heart Alliance on Tuesday when her 12-year-old Samantha bit the woman, reported People magazine.

The attendant's injuries reportedly require stitches. "This never happened before. The dog has never had this kind of behavior," Streisand's representative said.

The dog bit the attendant after she went to pet the pooch without showing her hand first, a gesture that allows animals to get acquainted with strangers, according to the rep.

"The flight attendant started petting the dog, and when it's a stranger, you put the hand out," the spokesperson said. "And the dog nipped at her, and it would be inaccurate to make it more than it is. Barbara felt terrible."