A man mauled in the face by a "pitbull-type" dog was attacked and injured by the same animal just hours earlier, a shocked neighbour has claimed.
It is said that the 50-year-old victim had wanted the dog seized by council wardens following the earlier incident at a home in Bolton, Greater Manchester.
The man, thought to be the dog's owner, suffered life-threatening injuries to his face and arm during a prolonged attack at the property in the Bolton suburb of Breightmet just after 1pm on Thursday.
He was due to undergo surgery on Friday, a Greater Manchester Police spokesman told the Mirror.
The spokesman said the dog was "destroyed before its breed could be determined".
Have you been affected by this story? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk.
Neighbour Bethany Weall, 17, described the dog as a "pitbull-type" breed, while other neighbours have said it was a "terrier-type".
Bethany claimed the man was attacked by the same dog the night before and he had gone to hospital with injuries following that mauling.
She told the Sun: “After that, he contacted dog wardens because he wanted the dog taken away.
“They were supposed to be coming to collect the dog today but didn’t get there in time.
“There was a second attack in the man’s garden and the dog dragged him across the grass."
Bethany said she believed the the “pitbull-type dog” was about 18-months-old and claimed the the animal had been with the owner for just two weeks.
Neighbours bravely tried to save the man as he was attacked and frantically tried to keep him alive as they waited for paramedics to arrive.
Neighbour Sammi Lin-Lancelott said she looked outside after hearing screams coming from a nearby garden, and saw the man being mauled by the dog.
She told the Manchester Evening News: "He was a mess. He had puncture wounds everywhere.
"My partner chucked a tennis ball and that's how the dog got off him.
"We called the police, got a blanket for him and kept talking to him so he did not pass out.
"He was in a really bad way. It was horrible. I hope he is okay."
A police spokesperson said on Thursday: "Officers were called to Yewdale Gardens, Bolton, at about 1.20pm on Thursday 6 May 2021 to reports a man was being attacked by a dog.
"North West Ambulance Service and an air ambulance attended and a 50-year-old man was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries to his arm and face.
"A scene remains in place and enquiries are ongoing. The dog has been secured."
