YORK — Politics turned dangerous for a candidate after she was attacked by a pit bull while going door-to-door.

Mary Caldwell, who is running for Lower Windsor Township supervisor, said she had knocked on the back screen door of a home Saturday evening when a pit bull escaped.

"The dog went right for my leg," Caldwell said. "I just started screaming at the top of my lungs."

The dog shook her back and forth "like a rag doll" and tore a big hole in her right leg, she said.

A man who was helping Caldwell campaign came to her aid and was also bitten. Both were treated at a hospital.

Police have turned the investigation over to the township's animal control officer, Terry Hemler. The dog is up to date on its shots, Hemler said.

The dog's owner, Izel Knopp, was not home at the time of the attack and declined to comment on Monday. Knopp's son said he was asleep on the sofa, according to Caldwell.

Many people in the community use their back doors, which is why Caldwell said she knocked.