Yorkshire six-year-old boy suffers 'life-changing' injuries after being mauled by dog

The boy, six, was attacked by the dog in Doncaster and was taken to hospital.

A man in his 40s was also harmed in the attack, South Yorkshire Police said.

The force said officers attended the incident, which happened on May 11, and the dog was seized from a property in South Street in the city.

It was later put down and a police investigation into the attack has been launched.

No-one has been arrested in connection with the incident and detectives have appealed for information.

A force spokesperson said: "Emergency services were called at around 7.15pm on Thursday (11 May) following reports that a child had been attacked by a dog on South Street in the Highfields area of Doncaster.

"Officers attended the scene and an American Staffordshire terrier breed dog was seized from a property on the road, and later put down.

"A six-year-old boy was taken to hospital with potentially life-changing injuries.

"A man in his 40s was also taken to hospital for treatment for non-serious injuries.

"No arrests have been made, and an investigation is ongoing."

Two days after the incident in Doncaster, a two-year-old boy was injured in a dog attack at a property in nearby Sheffield, South Yorks,.

The toddler was bitten on his leg by a German Shepherd but the incident is not believed to be 'life changing or life threatening.' Officers attended the scene on May 13 and seized the dog.

The incidents prompted the police force to urge people to be careful when buying dogs after seeing a spike in incidents involving dogs bought from social media.

Dog liaison officer Rachael Attwell warned: "Sellers are not being honest about a dog's issues in adverts and are passing the problem onto a new owner.

"We are seeing this more and more, as people buy dogs without knowing their history or having an assessment carried out.

"Sellers on social media will not have yours or your family's best interests at heart and will only be focused on selling the dog, which can have devastating consequences."