- WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES
Thirteen dog attacks have been reported in the last 48 hours sparking a dire warning from police that ‘someone will die’ unless dog owners step up.
South Yorkshire Police issued the grim statement after calls of attacks began flooding in, including one from a young mother walking home with her baby when a loose XL Bully began to show aggression and jumped up at them, leaving her fearing for the child’s life.
While in another incident an American Bulldog owner suffered lacerations to his face, neck and head after he stepped in to break up a dog fight in his own home.
He was taken to hospital following the vicious mauling on Thursday afternoon in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.
The bulldog was seized by officers and is currently being held in police kennels.
An elderly woman and her grandchild were also among those attacked by another loose hound.
It comes days after 10-year-old Savannah Bentham was mauled to death by her pet XL Bully that North Yorkshire Police said she had a ‘close, loving relationship’ with.
Chief Inspector Emma Cheney, leading the work on dangerous dogs across South Yorkshire, said: ‘Recently we have sadly seen another fatal incident in the UK of a dog causing death.
‘People think it won’t happen to them, that their dog won’t cause harm, but it can happen to anyone.
‘Any dog can cause fear and harm and owners who do not step up and prevent harm to our communities will not be tolerated.’
Speaking directly to owners, she added: ‘You are responsible for your dog’s actions, and we continue to put people before the courts.’
The police force bemoaned the financial cost and resources they incur for every response to a dog attack saying it took officers ‘away from other calls’.
As well as having to contract kennel personnel to transport and house the mutts, they also have to carry out safeguarding checks and investigate any criminal aspects to ‘ensure justice is secured’.
A spokesman for the force added: ‘Separate from the investigative resources, the dogs seized during incidents must be cared for and kennelled until a decision is made.’
CI Cheney continued: ‘We only have a limited number of resources, attending dangerous dog incidents takes officers away from other calls. If every owner steps up and makes small changes, we can make a difference.’
Last month horrifying footage was made public by the force of a man being mauled by a pair of dogs after they reportedly escaped onto the street.
A man and a girl, 14, were attacked on Dagenam Crescent in Sheffield on September 29.
The two dogs, believed to be a Mastiff and a Cane Corso, are thought to have escaped from a property on the street.
The victim, aged 47, suffered deep cuts and puncture wounds across his body and was taken to hospital via ambulance, requiring surgery.
A second victim, aged 14, suffered minor injuries from attempting to intervene.
Savannah was killed by her pet pooch at the start of this month after being attacked by her pet at home in Malton, Yorkshire.
Traumatic scenes – which saw the girl’s mother running outside screaming ‘my baby’s dead’ – unfolded in the sleepy Yorkshire village after Savannah had reportedly boasted to her pals: ‘I have got a new pet – an XL bully‘.
In a statement via North Yorkshire Police, Savannah’s family said they were ‘utterly shocked’ and ‘devastated’, adding: ‘We can’t believe we have lost our wonderful girl who we love so much.’
They continued: ‘We thank everyone for their support and kindness as we struggle to come to terms with our loss. We ask that our family’s privacy is respected while we grieve for Savannah.’
The family live in a static caravan in a compound behind a shop premises in East Heslerton, North Yorkshire.
North Yorkshire Police said the girl had a ‘close, loving relationship’ with the dog that went on to kill her. The force said the mutt would be put down.
Days earlier s little girl suffered horrific injuries when she was attacked by her family’s two-year-old Doberman in Sheffield when she tried to give it a kiss.
The dog was laid on the sofa and the girl tried to give it a peck, but the animal reacted and mauled the child’s head.
Horrific photos of the little girl from after the attack showed the side of her face and ears covered in blood, and she was taken to hospital where she required surgery.
The dog was seized and put to sleep.
In September a four-year-old girl was attacked by two XL Bullys while she played in the park with her mother in Sheffield.
She was rushed to hospital for her injuries to her body, which were luckily not life-threatening.
Moreover in September last year, shocking footage emerged of a mother trying to protect her young daughter – after an out of control dog attacked her own pet.
The woman was pushing her one-year-old child in a trike while walking her dog when a Staffordshire bull terrier came running up to them on Richmond Road in Sheffield.
The bull terrier then attacked the woman’s dog while she tried to move her daughter, who can be heard crying, out of the way.
And just days earlier, a man was dragged into the middle of the road as he tried to fight off an attacking dog.
CCTV of the attack, shows a man, in a blue fleece and dark trousers, holding a small black dog aloft as a larger, tan-coloured canine appears to snap at his arm.
As he moves around and attempts to fend off the larger animal, it locks its jaws around his left forearm.
Despite this, the dog still refuses to let go – only doing so as a red BMW hatchback comes to the rescue, mounting the pavement in what appears to be a bid to bring the incident to a halt.
But as the smaller black pet attempts to flee, the larger animal follows it down the road – before the footage comes to an end.
Injuries and deaths after attacks by XL bully-type dogs
Jonathan Halstead, 35 – January 29, 2020
Jonathan died from a severe neck injury and bites after being attacked in his home in Oldham, Greater Manchester by his pet Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bronson.
It is believed the dog attacked him when its owner suffered an epileptic fit.
Jack Lis, 10 – November 8, 2021
Schoolboy Jack Lis, ten, suffered catastrophic injuries after being mauled by an American XL bully dog called Beast while visiting a friend’s home in Penyrheol in Caerphilly, Wales on November 8, 2021.
Neighbours and Welsh Ambulance Service paramedics desperately tried to save him but he died at the scene. Armed police destroyed the dog on site.
Adam Watts, 55 – December 22, 2021
Adam Watts, 55, was attacked at the Juniper Kennels and Cattery in Kirkton of Auchterhouse, near Dundee, and was pronounced dead at the scene on December 22, 2021.
Bella-Rae Birch, 17 months – March 21, 2022
Toddler Bella-Rae Birch was attacked by her family’s pet American bully XL dog when she was just 17 months old.
The vicious dog snatched the child out of her mother’s arms while they were at their home in Blackbrook, St Helens, Merseyside, on March 21 last year.
Keven Jones, 62 – May 28, 2022
Keven Jones died after he was attacked by an American Bully XL dog in Wrexham, Wales on May 28 last year.
Ambulance workers attempted to save him but they were unable to stop his left leg bleeding.
Mr Jones was then pronounced dead at his son’s house following the attack.
Joanne Robinson, 43 – July 15, 2022
Mother-of-two Joanne Robinson, 43, was killed by her American bully XL dog, Rocco, after it ‘turned mad in the extreme heat’ in July last year.
She died at the scene of the attack at home in Rotherham, South Yorkshire while her partner, Jamie Stead, was left with injuries to his hands, stomach and face as he tried to pull the animal off her.
Joanne’s mother Dot, of Wath-upon-Dearne, South Yorkshire, revealed at the time that Rocco had previously fought with their other dog Lola – and she had warned her daughter to ‘get rid of one of them’.
Ian Symes, 34 – August 2022
Ian ‘Wiggy’ Symes, 34, who is understood to have been walking a bully XL dog himself at a recreation ground in Fareham, Hampshire, died at the scene following a horrific dog attack in August 2022.
His devastated family said he was ‘doing something he loved’ when he died in the field in Fareham, Hampshire.
Ann Dunn, 65 – October 3, 2022
Ann Dunn, 65, was found collapsed with ‘catastrophic injuries’ at her Liverpool home she shared with seven dogs on October 3 last year.
She was mauled to death by dogs including an American bully XL – and had been sent to hospital a year before her death because she had been bitten by a dog.
Shirley Patrick, 83 – December 3, 2022
Widowed grandmother Shirley Patrick, 83, died after being viciously mauled by an XL bully in her own home.
The retired nurse died in hospital 17 days after suffering ‘life-threatening injuries’ during the ‘hellish’ and ‘violent’ dog attack in Caerphilly, South Wales on December 3 last year.
Jonathan Hogg, 37 – May 18, 2023
Jonathan Hogg, 37, was mauled to death by an American XL bully dog when it turned on him while he was looking after it for a friend.
He entered the pen when it went for him, leaving bite wounds on his arm, leg and head, an inquest heard.
He was rushed to hospital but died of his injuries after the mauling in Leigh, Greater Manchester, on May 18 this year.
Ian Price, 52 – September 14, 2023
On Thursday, September 14, ‘pillar of the community’ Ian Price, 52, was attacked and killed by two ‘devil’ XL bully dogs after they jumped out of his neighbour’s window in Stonnall, Staffordshire.
Mr Price was attacked and killed by the two dogs which jumped out of a neighbour’s window yards from a primary school. He reportedly died defending his elderly mother from the animals.
The dogs bit him and ripped the clothes from his body leaving him dying in a pool of blood in his boxer shorts in the horror attack just feet from his home.
Ian Langley, 54 – October 3, 2023
Ian Langley, 54, was set upon on the estate in Sunderland on October 3 this year by an enormous XL bully dog which grabbed him by the neck as he bent down to pick up his Patterdale terrier pup.
The attack left Mr Langley needing CPR for around 15 minutes as emergency services fought to stop heavy bleeding from his wounds. He died from his injuries.
