Dogsey

A dog owner is recovering from severe injuries after his pitbull tore part of his genitals when he tried to stop the animal attacking his daughter.

The New Mexico man was set upon by the dog, called Stitches, after attempting to rescue his eight-year-old girl as the pet bit her face, said police.

The 90lb (40kg) mixed breed punctured the child's cheek, before clamping its jaws around her 35-year-old father's groin.

Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Simon Drobik said: "When we got on the scene the man was bleeding severely and holding his groin.

"It was really bad."

The man was rushed to hospital suffering from "partial detachment of the genitals" and "severe lacerations", following Saturday's attack.