Owner of XL Bully who mauled him while he was having sex to appeal ruling that dog should be put down
22 December 2023, 10:25
The owner of an XL Bully who was savaged by his dog while he was having sex is set to appeal an order for it to be down.
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Scott Thurston, 32, was bitten by two-year-old Hank while getting intimate with his partner Leanne Bell at their home in south Wales on August 2.
Mr Thurston suffered bites to his chin and left arm during the attack.
Ms Bell called the police after the savaging while Mr Thurston tried to muzzle the dog, Llanelli Magistrates Court heard.
Hank was seized from the house in the village of Glanaman on August 19, with the court ordering that the dog should be destroyed.
Mr Thurston wants to stop the dog being killed, and said he would launch an appeal against the decision.
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A friend gave the update via a Facebook group called 'Hank not BSL', the MailOnline reported.
They said: "Not the news we wanted to share... there is room for an appeal and we will update further once Scott has had time to discuss further with the legal team."
Footage of police arriving to intervene in the dog attack shows Mr Thurston trying to hold back the dog.
Ms Bell can be heard telling police: "I've got four kids, I love the dog, but I can't have him around my kids."
The court heard that the two had been arguing before starting to have sex, when the dog bit Mr Thurston.
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The dog was seized and taken to kennels at local police headquarters.
Frederick Lewendon, representing police, told the court that the dog was a safeguarding concern and that the attack could have been far worse.
He added that "next time it might not be a small bite to him, it might be to one of the children".
Ian Birch, for Mr Thurston, said the dog should be allowed back to the home with "proper contingencies", as there had been no previous incidents.
Magistrates made the ruling that the dog should be destroyed because of safeguarding concerns for the children.
It comes as a ban on XL Bullies comes into effect at the end of the year, with hundreds of the dogs set to be put down.
