A five-year-old girl has suffered severe facial injuries when she was attacked by an American bulldog.
The girl's stepfather grappled with the animal, a family pet, to force it to release her and he received injuries to his arm in the process.
The girl and man were taken to hospital by ambulance following the attack at an address in Hanemill Court, Northampton, at about 7.15pm on Sunday.
A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police, who were called to the scene, said: "Their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening at this time.
"Police contained the dog at the scene and it will be humanely destroyed later."
The attack comes after 18-month-old Zumer Ahmed was mauled to death in Crawley, West Sussex, last month by a family pet also believed to be an American bulldog.
The breed is not banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act, police have said.
The girl, who was named locally as Tanisha Hall, was described by neighbours as a playful child.
One neighbour, a 50-year-old woman who did not want to be named, said: "I've seen her playing out in the court. She's a typical little girl, whizzing around on her bike. She's very playful."
