Girl, 10, dies after being bitten by family dog at North Yorkshire home

Police and paramedics were called to a house in North Yorkshire on Monday afternoon following reports of a dog attack

The girl, who has not been named, was taken to hospital but died a short time later. The dog, a Staffordshire bull terrier, was seized by police and will be destroyed.

The girl's family is being supported by specially trained officers and the local community has been left in shock following the tragedy.

Chief Superintendent Ian Pringle, from North Yorkshire Police, said: "This is a truly tragic incident and our thoughts are with the girl's family and friends at this very difficult time." He added that the investigation into the circumstances of the attack is ongoing.

The BBC reported that the girl's parents were not at home at the time of the attack and the dog had been in the family for several years.

A neighbor told the BBC: "It's such a tragedy. The dog was always friendly and I can't believe something like this has happened." Another neighbor said: "The family is very close and they are going to be devastated by this."

ITV News reported that the dog had been involved in a previous incident in 2021, when it bit a child on the leg.

The local council said that the dog had been assessed by a vet and was not deemed to be dangerous at the time. However, the council said that it is now reviewing its procedures for assessing dogs following this tragic incident.