A woman whose puppy was mauled by an XL Bully does not believe the killer breed should be banned.
Kate Jackson, 35, who lives in Aigburth, Merseyside, was walking her Hungarian Vizsla puppy, Arthur through Sefton Park on July 25 when it was attacked by a vicious dog – believed to be an XL Bully.
Ms Jackson said she saw a man walking two dogs in the park, one she believes is the controversial breed, who warned her ‘they’re not friendly’.
Moments later the blood-thirsty hound had Ms Jackson’s puppy in a death grip.
She said: ‘Before I could do anything the dog had him by the throat and was dragging him. The man was shouting at his dog but this didn’t do anything. I froze for a moment as I was scared for my own safety. The other, smaller dog joined in and was biting and pulling his ears. Arthur isn’t a small dog, he’s quite big and he was helpless and crying.
Kate Jackson, pictured, paid £1,700 in emergency vet bills after her puppy, Arthur, was savaged by a suspected XL Bully in Liverpool in July
Arthur, pictured, required 17 stitches in his neck after being attacked by the killer dog
‘Me and the other owner managed to separate them and we had a verbal altercation. He had one lead for two dogs, so he put the bigger one on the lead.’
Ms Jackson took her dog to the emergency vets where he was given 17 stitches to close a deep laceration to his neck. Arthur also had a puncture wound and injuries to his ear, leaving her with a £1,700 bill.
Following the attack, Ms Jackson said she was ‘too scared’ to walk Arthur on her own for two weeks. She also said she would not return to Sefton Park.
She said: ‘We go to all the parks in Liverpool, Sefton Park, Greenbank, The Mystery, Childwall Woods, but mostly Sefton and Greenbank. I won’t go back to Sefton Park now.
‘Because the wound was on Arthur’s neck the vets couldn’t put him in a cone, so he scratched out the stitches two or three times, meaning he needed antibiotics. We cancelled a camping trip at the recommendation of the vets, which we were really looking forward to as my mum died five days after the attack.
‘Luckily Arthur is absolutely fine after the attack, it’s like nothing happened. He’s such a lovely-natured dog, we’re lucky it hasn’t triggered him to aggression, because it [attacks] can.
‘It was a rude awakening for us about recall.’
Ms Jackson reported the matter to Merseyside Police who told her they can take no further action.
Ms Jackson said her dog has recovered following his ordeal. She said she is opposed to the proposed ban on XL Bully dogs, instead suggesting that owners should be held responsible for the actions of their pets
A spokesperson from Merseyside Police said: ‘Officers have investigated a report that a dog was attacked by two other dogs in Sefton Park on Tuesday 25 July. Just before 10am we received a report that a woman was walking her dog, a Hungarian Vizla, near to the Palm House when two dogs attacked her dog.
‘The Hungarian Vizla received cuts to its neck which required veterinary treatment. It was reported that the two dogs, believed to be XL bulldogs, were off their lead and was with a man who attempted to stop the attack.
‘Officers have spoken with both owners involved in the incident and carried out a full investigation in the area, which resulted in no further action being taken against the dog owner. At present no further complaints have been made to Merseyside Police.
‘Anyone who witnessed this incident or with any information is asked to contact @MerPolCC on Twitter or “Merseyside Police Contact Centre” on Facebook with reference 23000676125’
Despite the attack on Arthur, Kate said she is ‘100 per cent against’ the government’s plan to ban XL bullies by the end of the year.
She said: ‘The move to ban the XL bully has infuriated me, I’m 100 per cent against this ban. The laws need to change and individuals need to be held accountable for being irresponsible dog owners. Dog on dog attacks need to be taken more seriously as they are often antecedents to more serious or fatal attacks.
‘If proper investigating were done, stones turned over, then perhaps that would be a start in preventing irresponsible owners, discovering puppy farms, enforcing ownership bans and solving Liverpool’s ever growing problematic dog attacks.’