Woman falls out of window after XL bully dog ‘on the loose’ goes on rampage in flat
The government announced this week that the XL bully dogs will be banned from the end of this year after a surge in deadly attacks
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A woman was seriously injured after falling from a high window during an attack by an XL bully dog.
The victim and another man were taken to hospital after the large dog attacked a group of people at 11pm on Friday.
A man and a woman were taken to hospital with serious injuries after officers responded to reports that the dog, which police believe is an XL bully, was still “on the loose”.
The injuries sustained are not believed to be life-threatening.
The dog was seized by officers from a nearby home in the Hickling Court area of Mansfield and taken to kennels where it remains.
Nottinghamshire Police said that they currently believe the woman fell from the window of a flat where the attack was sparked.
A 38-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control.
On Tuesday the government announced XL bully dogs will be banned from the end of this year after a surge in deadly attacks.
The breed will be added to the list of prohibited dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
Under the new rules, which come into force on 31 December, it will be illegal to breed, sell, advertise, exchange, gift, rehome, abandon or allow American XL bully dogs to stray in England and Wales. From this date, these dogs must also be kept on a lead and muzzled in public.
The laws then state it will be illegal to own an XL bully from 1 February 2024. Owners will face a criminal record and an unlimited fine after that date unless their dog is on an exemption list and they comply with strict requirements, such as microchipping and neutering their pets.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak had pledged last month that the breed would be added to the Dangerous Dogs Act list by the end of the year, calling it a “danger to our communities”.
As recently as Saturday night (28 October), a 29-year-old woman was seriously injured in a suspected American XL bully attack in North Tyneside. And last week a Leicestershire Police officer was taken to hospital after being bitten in an XL bully attack.
Earlier this month, a woman was injured after she was attacked by her own XL bully in Norfolk. And a toddler was savaged by what was described as a “large XL bully” outside a London hotel.
In November 2021, Jack Lis, 10, was killed by an American XL bully while at a friend’s house in south Wales, with the owners of the dog, Amy Salter and Brandon Hayden, jailed as a result of the attack. The 10-year-old’s mother Emma Whitfield has since been calling for a change in the law.
Owners of XL bullies have staged protests against the ban, including a march through central London in September to which demonstrators did not bring their dogs.
Any witnesses, or anyone with any information about this incident, is asked to contact Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 823 of 3 November.
Alternatively, information can be given anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.