Shocking video reveals how police trap and subdue ‘dangerous’ XL Bully dogs
26 October 2023, 12:42 | Updated: 26 October 2023, 14:39
Officers from a single police force have attended 800 dangerous dogs incidents in a four-month period, and seized 100 dogs.
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West Midlands Police shared footage from a series of frightening encounters with out-of-control dogs to illustrate the challenges their officers face.
It comes after the government pledged to ban the breeding of XL Bully dogs following several high-profile attacks, including incidents where dogs killed people.
One incident shared by the force shows officers sedating what appears to be an XL Bully in a garden covered in rubbish and building debris.
An officer can be heard saying "good shot" after their colleague fired the sedative dart at the dog.
Read more: Woman, 60, mauled by one-year-old 40kg XL Bully she adopted ‘less than a month ago’
West Midlands Police restrain dog
Other incidents show officers taking dogs out of houses using specialist poles to restrain them.
One video shows a white dog being escorted out of a home, with an officer encouraging it by saying "It's alright, Charlie".
It comes after a 60-year-old woman was mauled by her own XL bully, which escaped and then had to be destroyed, earlier this month.
Police were called to Brisley in Norfolk shortly before 3pm on Monday after a member of the public reported that a woman was being attacked by an XL bully dog in the back garden of her property in Gately Road and was screaming for help.
XL Bully owner says there is a 'real issue' with these dogs
Officers arrived at the scene to find the woman being mauled by her pet dog.
She received multiple injuries in the attack and was taken to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital for treatment.
Her injuries were not life-threatening.
A few days later an 18-year-old man was savaged by a dog outside a block of flats in Scotland. He was thrown to the ground as the dog bit him.
The teenager was eventually taken to hospital for emergency treatment.
CCTV shows moment dog attacks boy in Walsall
Announcing the ban in September, Mr Sunak said the XL bully is a "danger to our communities".
He said: “This is not about a handful of badly trained dogs, it’s a pattern of behaviour and it cannot go on.
But the Dog Control Coalition - a group of charities made up of the RSPCA, Blue Cross, Battersea, Dogs Trust, Hope Rescue, Scottish SPCA, The Kennel Club and BVA - said Mr Sunak's plan to ban XL Bullies "will sadly not stop these types of incidents recurring."
