A young man is fighting for his life after suffering a ‘serious’ bite from a dog. 

The attack happened in Paskeville on the Yorke Peninsula, 130km northwest from Adelaide, about 4.30pm on Friday.

A Medstar helicopter was dispatched to assist the man, who was aged in his 20s, but was later stood down. 

Paramedics said ‘there was serious bleeding on the man’s arm’ but he was expected to survive.

A Paskeville resident, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Advertiser the man was the dog’s owner and that it had attacked him a year ago.

‘(In the previous attack) he was bitten on the face and was in hospital for a while,’ the local said.

‘It’s a big, ugly, vicious, brown dog.’

‘Whenever you walk past it tries to have a go at you from the other side of the fence.’