Brave mum intervenes in deadly potential XL Bully attack

A fearless mum has shared footage of the moment she was attacked by a suspected XL Bully while out walking her dog, saying the animal would have killed her pet if she hasn’t intervened

In a horrifying incident, an XL Bully dog launched a brutal attack that could have “almost certainly” resulted in death.

A mum from south-west London claimed her pet would have been fatally mauled by what she suspects was an XL Bully if she hadn’t stepped in when her dog was bitten. Emma Rogers recounted how the dog, also suspected to be an XL Bully by the Met Police, pounced on her and her cockapoo during their stroll past a fishmongers on Twickenham High Street, London, around 6pm on 1 September.

Ms Rogers reported the terrifying encounter to the police, but they were unable to identify the owner of the aggressive dog. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police confirmed that an emergency response team was dispatched to the scene to gather information about the incident.

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“The case was assigned to a neighbourhood officer for further investigation who has made contact with the victim,” they stated. “The suspect dog and its owner made off before police arrival. Enquiries are ongoing about what breed the dog was.”

From 31 December 2023, the UK government has outlawed the breeding, selling, gifting, advertising, or public possession of XL Bully dogs without a muzzle and lead in England and Wales. This law was enacted following nearly 11,000 hospital admissions due to dog bites in England in 2023-24, as per NHS England data, reports the Mirror.

The Office for National Statistics reported seven fatalities caused by dog attacks in England and Wales during the same period, although it cautioned that this figure might be underestimated due to registration delays.

The stats didn’t specify the breeds of dogs involved in these attacks or fatalities. The previous government had pledged to outlaw XL Bully dogs, citing that this breed was “disproportionately involved” in the recorded deaths since 2021.

Just last month, an air ambulance pilot was lauded as a hero for taking down an XL Bully. Captain Jon Earp borrowed a farmer’s shotgun to take aim at the menacing mutt during an attack, earning him high praise from a judge who commended his bravery and credited him with saving a life.

The incident unfolded when a landlord turned up at a property in Gwynedd, Wales, to collect rent. When he honked his car horn, the tenant’s dog went into attack mode, lunging not only at the landlord but also its owner and her husband.