A dog is known to be a man's best friend but in some cases can even be a girl's best bet as a husband.

Karnamoni Hasda, a nine-year-old Santhal tribal girl, tied the knot with a street dog in the presence of more than a hundred guests at a marriage ceremony held at Khanyan in West Bengal's Hooghly district on June 11.

District officials on Wednesday said marrying boys and girls with canines was a common practice among Santhals and was supposed to protect them against danger.

Officials said the Santhals believe if the first tooth of a child appears on the upper gum, then there is grave danger to the child's life and only marriage to a dog or bitch can save the infant.

There are no restrictions on remarriage of children married to canines. According to Santhal custom, Karnamoni should have been married off when her first tooth appeared, but her father's financial condition did not permit it then, the officials said.

Santhals are a backward and extremely poor tribal community found in Jharkhand, especially Chotanagpur and Santhal Pargana regions.