I’m a dog behaviour expert — here are three things to do if you’re attacked by XL Bully
A DOG behaviour expert has revealed the three things you should do if you’re attacked by an XL Bully.
A recent spate of attacks by the beast of a breed has seen PM Rishi Sunak pledge to ban them by the end of the year.
With some savagings ending in death, calls were made to put an end to the dogs that are a “danger to our communities” – leaving Mr Sunak no choice but to take action.
A total of six people have already been viciously attacked by the beasts this year.
Just last week, Ian Price, 52, was mauled to death by two XL Bully dogs in Stonnall, Staffordshire.
The dad-of-two had been trying to protect his elderly mum from them when they escaped from a property.
With the nation now fearing XL Bully dogs, an expert has told the three things you should do if you find yourself being attacked.
Jane Williams, committee member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors, said Brits should remember obstruction, distraction and loud noises.
She told The Express: “If you can get into a corner that will help from being attacked from multiple sides.
“You also want to be beside or find some sort of physical barrier that can be placed between you and the dog.
“Anyone who might find themselves in a situation where they see a dog attack can try and distract the dog with food.
“It can be any kind of food, and will often work as a good way to turn the dog’s attention elsewhere.”
She added how if you’re a passerby and see an attack, loud noises could help save someone’s life.
She said: “You need that sort of distraction to be happening at a distance, so if you’re in your car like those people at the petrol station, you should sound the horn to see if it interrupts the attack.
“You should certainly do that before you get out and try and intervene yourself.”
It comes after a 10-year-old boy was set upon by the same breed of dog as he played football outside his home.
The youngster was kicking a football around on his family’s front drive, in Walsall, when the dog came out of nowhere and leapt on him.
He was knocked to the ground, with the hound sinking its teeth into his arms and legs.
And just a few days before, an 11-year-old girl was attacked by an XL Bully in Bordesley Green, Birmingham.
Fatal dog attacks in 2023
Six people have died in dog attacks this year:
- Natasha Johnston, 28 – killed by a pack of dogs in Surrey in January
- Alice Stones, 4 – attacked in her back garden in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire in February
- Wayne Stevens, 51 – mauled by an “out-of-control” dog in Derby in April
- Jonathan Hogg, 37 – savaged to death by an American XL Bully in Leigh in May
- Woman in her 70s – mauled to death as she sunbathed in her Warwickshire garden
- Ian Price, 52 – mauled by two XL Bully dogs in Stonnall, Staffordshire