A seven-year-old girl has been taken to hospital after a “horrific” dog attack in Merseyside, police have said.
Officers were called to Gorsedale Park in Wallasey, the Wirral, before 8.30pm on Monday evening to reports a girl had been bitten by a dog.
A girl was found with injuries to her legs and head and was taken to hospital, but has since been discharged.
The officers seized a dog - which Merseyside Police said was not a banned breed - and are currently trying to find its owner.
The force is appealing for any witnesses to come forward to help with the investigation.
Detective Inspector Emma Kerrigan said: "This was a horrific attack which has left a young girl receiving hospital treatment for injuries to her head and legs.
“I want to reassure people that she received the best possible care and treatment for her injuries, and we hope she makes a speedy recovery now she is home.
"We have seized the dog and extensive efforts are underway to establish exactly what happened and to find the owner.
“I want to appeal to anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident, who may have information which could help us with our investigation to come forward as soon as possible. You may even live locally and have CCTV, or have been passing in a vehicle and captured dashcam footage – if so, we want to hear from you.
"This case highlights in the starkest terms the potential dangers of dogs, and I would appeal to anyone with information about dangerous dogs in their area to contact us so that we can take pro-active action."