A man in Iowa has died after saving his five-year-old daughter from a dog attack, according to police.

Officers from the Fort Madison Police Department were called to a home in Fort Madison, Iowa on Friday morning, after a report of a large dog attacking a man in a front yard.

After first responders came to the aid of this unidentified man, they found Robert Joseph Quick, 33, seriously injured.

Mr Quick, a resident of nearby Dallas City, Illinois, asked the officers to first care for his five-year-old daughter, who had been bitten in the face by the dog.

His daughter was located and "first aid was rendered," according to a statement from the Department released on Facebook by Lee County Sheriff Stacy S Weber, who oversees Fort Madison as interim police chief.

Her father was transported to Fort Madison Hospital, and later pronounced dead after “tremendous efforts to save his life on the scene and by medical personnel were unsuccessful.”

A post-mortem examination determining the exact cause of his death is pending.

"Mr Quick had defended his daughter and undoubtedly saved her life by his actions," police said.

The statement released also said that officers “did have to discharge a weapon to dispatch the animal to stop the attack.”

“The dog was very aggressive and would not release the man,” police said.

Stranded dog rescued while swimming 135 miles off Thai coast Show all 7 1 /7 Stranded dog rescued while swimming 135 miles off Thai coast Stranded dog rescued while swimming 135 miles off Thai coast Dog rescue Boonrod the dog was rescued by oil rig workers after he was spotted swimming 135 miles from shore in the Gulf of Thailand on 12 April 2019. Vitisak Payalaw/AFP Stranded dog rescued while swimming 135 miles off Thai coast Dog rescue This handout from Watchdog Thailand taken on April 15, 2019 and released to AFP on April 16, 2019 shows Boonrod the dog on the way to getting checked by a veterinarian in Songkhla after he was rescued by workers on an oil rig off the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. - An exhausted dog found paddling 220 kilometres (135 miles) off the Thai coast is set for a new lease on life after an oil rig worker who rescued him promised to adopt the plucky pooch. (Photo by Handout / WATCHDOG THAILAND / AFP) / -----EDITORS NOTE --- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / WATCHDOG THAILAND " - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - NO ARCHIVEHANDOUT/AFP/Getty Images HANDOUT AFP/Watchdog Thailand Stranded dog rescued while swimming 135 miles off Thai coast Dog rescue In this Friday, April 12, 2019, photo, a dog sits on an oil rig after being rescued in the Gulf of Thailand. The dog found swimming more than 220 kilometers (135 miles) from shore by an oil rig crew in the Gulf of Thailand was returned safely to land. Vitisak Payalaw, stationed on the rig belonging to Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production, said on his Facebook page the dog was glimpsed Friday swimming towards the platform, where it got a grip on a pole at sea level. (Vitisak Payalaw via AP) Vitisak Payalaw AP/Vitisak Payalaw Stranded dog rescued while swimming 135 miles off Thai coast Dog rescue This handout from Watchdog Thailand taken on April 15, 2019 and released to AFP on April 16, 2019 shows Boonrod the dog getting checked by a veterinarian in Songkhla after he was rescued by workers on an oil rig off the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. - An exhausted dog found paddling 220 kilometres (135 miles) off the Thai coast is set for a new lease on life after an oil rig worker who rescued him promised to adopt the plucky pooch. (Photo by Handout / WATCHDOG THAILAND / AFP) / -----EDITORS NOTE --- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / WATCHDOG THAILAND " - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - NO ARCHIVEHANDOUT/AFP/Getty Images HANDOUT AFP/Watchdog Thailand Stranded dog rescued while swimming 135 miles off Thai coast Dog rescue In this Friday, April 12, 2019, photo, a dog is taken care by an oil rig crew after being rescued in the Gulf of Thailand. The dog found swimming more than 220 kilometers (135 miles) from shore by an oil rig crew in the Gulf of Thailand was returned safely to land. Vitisak Payalaw, stationed on the rig belonging to Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production, said on his Facebook page the dog was glimpsed Friday swimming towards the platform, where it got a grip on a pole at sea level. (Vitisak Payalaw via AP) Vitisak Payalaw AP/Vitisak Payalaw Stranded dog rescued while swimming 135 miles off Thai coast Dog rescue This handout from Vitisak Payalaw taken on April 13, 2019 and released to AFP on April 16, 2019 shows Boonrod the dog after he was rescued by workers on an oil rig off the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. - An exhausted dog found paddling 220 kilometres (135 miles) off the Thai coast is set for a new lease on life after an oil rig worker who rescued him promised to adopt the plucky pooch. (Photo by Handout / VITISAK PAYALAW / AFP) / -----EDITORS NOTE --- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / VITISAK PAYALAW " - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - NO ARCHIVEHANDOUT/AFP/Getty Images HANDOUT Handout/Vitisak Payalaw/AFP Stranded dog rescued while swimming 135 miles off Thai coast Dog rescue This handout from Vitisak Payalaw taken on April 12, 2019 and released to AFP on April 16, 2019 shows Boonrod the dog after he was rescued by workers on an oil rig off the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. - An exhausted dog found paddling 220 kilometres (135 miles) off the Thai coast is set for a new lease on life after an oil rig worker who rescued him promised to adopt the plucky pooch. (Photo by Handout / VITISAK PAYALAW / AFP) / -----EDITORS NOTE --- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / VITISAK PAYALAW " - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - NO ARCHIVEHANDOUT/AFP/Getty Images HANDOUT Handout/Vitisak Payalaw/AFP

Family members have established a Go Fund Me to pay for funeral expenses for Mr Quick, who is being hailed as a hero in comments on the Facebook announcement of the incident.

Police say the dog did not belong to any of the victims, but was being kept at the house for a family member. It’s unclear what became of the dog, or what condition the first man on the scene is currently in.