Toddler Rushed to the Hospital After Dog Attack at a Birthday Party: ‘It Looked Really Bad’

A toddler was taken to the hospital after being attacked by a dog at a birthday party.

In a statement shared on Facebook, the Cleveland Police in northern England said they were “called to a property on Chopwell Close in Hardwick, [Stockton-on-Tees]” on Saturday, April 19, “after it was reported that a child had been attacked by a dog.”

After authorities arrived, the child was taken to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries to their arms and head.

Officers on the scene “secured the dog safely, without any harm to the animal, and removed it from the premises,” police continued, adding that the canine was taken to “specialist dog kennels.”

A spokesperson for the North East Ambulance Service told local outlet The Northern Echo that they were called to the scene but “no resources were required, as the patient made their own way to [the] hospital.” 

The Cleveland Police and the North East Ambulance Service did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Sunday, April 20.

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Local news outlet Metro reported that the victim is thought to be between two and three years old.

The outlet added that the incident involving the dog attack occurred during a birthday party.

“There were loads of emergency services as I was walking past, and the [child] was taken to hospital, it looked really bad,” an eyewitness told Metro UK.

Others at the scene told the outlet that the dog responsible for the attack appeared to be a pitbull mix. Police, however, have yet to confirm the breed.