Moldova President Sandu's dog bites visiting Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen

Moldovan President Maia Sandu's dog overturned protocol on Thursday by biting visiting Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen on the hand, although Austria's leader was forgiving and later gave the excitable pup a toy.

The incident, Moldovan media reported, occurred when the two leaders were strolling in the courtyard of the Moldovan presidential residence and Van der Bellen tried to pet the dog, a rescue named Codrut, or small forest.

Sandu apologized in English and explained that the dog had become frightened by large numbers of people nearby. Van Der Bellen appeared with his hand bandaged at his next meeting, with the speaker of Moldova's parliament.

In a video posted to Instagram on Friday, Van der Bellen sympathized with the first pup.

"Everyone who knows me knows that I'm a big dog lover and can understand his excitement," he wrote, adding his meeting with Sandu and other top officials had been "very good".

Van der Bellen added that he had gifted the dog a small toy on the last day of his visit.

The talks in Chisinau, attended by Van Der Bellen and the president of Slovenia, focused on the bid by Moldova, which lies between Ukraine and Romania, to join the European Union.

Sandu, who took in the dog after it was hit by a car, posted pictures on social media with her pet and the two presidents.