The savage mauling of a ten-year-old girl by her new XL Bully dog in North Yorkshire last week marks the sixth fatality since the ban on the dogs came into force on February 1.
Since February alone, police have been called to five other horrifying scenes, including a widower being savaged while dog sitting and a grandmother mauled to death while protecting her grandson.
In one shocking incident, police only realised that 33-year-old Nicholas Glass had been killed by his dogs after neighbours reported a foul stench in the garden he died in.
The ban introduced by the last Conservative government stopped short of legislating the destruction of the killer dogs, instead forcing owners to register them and keep them muzzled in public places.
As a result, the volatile breed is still a mainstay in many family homes across the country, with attacks occurring with alarming frequency.
Speaking to the MailOnline, veterinary expert and owner of MyPetsVet, Dr Nick Horniman explained that while the bill hadn’t been a failure as it’s ‘stopped some people from dying’, more education was needed.
He said: ‘In their family home everyone relaxes because we’re on the sofa watching TV. We don’t mind the baby or the young child, because it’s only the dog, and that’s when things can happen.
‘These XL Bullies are different. They’re different animals completely. They’re just unpredictable. And when they bite, they bite.’
The desperate scenes in East Heslerton last Friday, in which the distraught child’s mother was seen screaming ‘my baby’s dead’ in the middle of the her sleepy estate, were the sort the ban was designed to avoid.
The schoolgirl – known locally as ‘Savannah’ and described as ‘beautiful and intelligent’ – died after being bitten by her family’s dog inside their home.
The family, who have not been named, live in a static caravan in a compound behind a shop premises in East Heslerton, North Yorkshire.
North Yorkshire Police said the girl had a ‘close, loving relationship’ with the dog that went on to kill her. The force said the mutt would be put down.
People at a nearby caravan site were alerted by the screams of the girl’s traumatised mother at around 4.15pm on Friday.
One local farmer, who asked not to be named, said: ‘The dog is an XL bully. It has been certified and is well looked after. It’s a very big dog. I’ve seen it around the pub a few times, it doesn’t bother anyone or other dogs and is well-behaved.’
Describing the incident, the farmer said: ‘The mother ran out from the static caravan screaming ‘my baby’s dead.’ Some people from the caravan site went over to help. She was obviously really distraught.
‘The police got here very fast, there were two helicopters, ambulances turned up and an armed response unit.
‘Someone put the dog in a car apparently.’
‘They are really nice people. The girl is a really polite girl who always says please and thank you. She was a lovely little lass who you would see riding her bike around.’
A man who was in one of the nearby caravans was in a pub on the site when there was a massive emergency response.
‘The mother came out screaming about her “baby.” It’s terrible. I have a son aged 11 of about the same age who knew her. I’ve not told him yet. She was a really beautiful little girl and very intelligent for her age.’
Commenting on the dog, he said: ‘It is a massive dog and looks like an XL bully but I don’t know the breed.’
Another villager who knows the family also confirmed the dog was an XL bully.
The killing of Savannah marks the sixth fatality this year since the ban on the dogs came into force on February 1.
Nicholas Glass – mauled to death in garden
In August, Nicholas Glass, 33, was found dead in a Birmingham back garden were banned XL Bullies, police have revealed.
Officers were called to Hereford Close in Rubery, West Mids, in the early hours of August 21 after receiving reports of dogs on the loose – and an awful smell coming from one garden.
A post mortem has since revealed that Glass died from injuries ‘consistent with having been bitten by a dog’.
All four dogs have now been seized by police – with two being found at the house and the remaining pair hunted down two days later by cops.
Tests have now concluded that two of the dogs were XL Bullies, which are banned a breed. Neither have a certificate of exemption.
His heartbroken family paid tribute to an ‘adored’ man, who would ‘do anything for anyone.’
They said: ‘In Nicholas we’ve lost a loving son, brother and uncle who was adored by all of his family and friends.
‘He was kind hearted, caring and compassionate and he’d do anything for anyone. We are devastated at his loss and we all miss him desperately.’
Neighbours said the dog owner lived in the property with three Cane Corso dogs, which resemble American Bulldogs.
Bloody marks were visible on a downstairs garden window of the address in the days after the attack.
Neighbour Charlene Newman, 40, told the Mail she had called the police after smelling a foul stench coming from the garden.
She said: ‘It was a really bad smell. Like something rotting and it was coming from the bottom of the hedge in the back garden. I didn’t see a body but then the police came and put up a tent while they recovered it.’
Another resident, who gave his name only as Shane, said no-one had heard any shouting or barking at the house.
‘We just don’t know what happened but you can see bloody scratches on the window frame at the back of the house,’ he said.
David Daintree – mauled to death while dogsitting
In August, widower David Daintree was mauled to death by an XL Bully dog his family said he was looking after for a friend.
Specialist officers shot the animal dead after the horror attack on David Daintree, 53, at his home on Tuesday evening.
Mr Daintree’s daughter, Joanne Trezise, posted a tribute on Facebook saying: ‘Sleep tight daddy Dave. Love you.’
She insisted her father didn’t own the dog but had simply offered to look after it for a friend temporarily.
‘He was the sort of person that couldn’t say no to anything,’ she said.
‘He had the biggest heart of gold and because he was on his own missing his late wife he wanted some company.’
According to social media, Mr Daintree’s wife, Sharon, passed away in July 2021.
Ambulance crews and police were called to Mr Daintree’s home in Accrington, Lancashire shortly before 9.30pm but he had already died from his injuries.
Lancashire police said that because the dog was continuing to pose ‘a significant threat of serious harm’ officers were left with no alternative but to shoot the animal.
Lancashire Police said officers were left with no choice but to shoot the animal with a firearm as it posed ‘a significant threat of serious harm’.
