13 'dangerous dog' reports in 48 hours including dog owner attacked by his own American bulldog

By Shannon Cook

South Yorkshire Police have confirmed 13 reports relating to 'dangerous dogs' in just 48 hours.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

One man has been left with serious facial injuries while a woman has been left fearing for her baby’s safety.

A statement on the Yorkshire Police website reads: "As dogs causing harm and fear in our communities continues to place significant demand on our force, we’re urging owners to step up, before someone dies.

"On Thursday (14 November) at 3.22pm we were alerted by the ambulance service to a man who had been attacked by his own dog in Sheffield.

"The dog, an American Bulldog had attacked when the owner attempted to separate the bulldog and a pocket bully inside the property.

"The owner suffered lacerations to his face, neck and head, and was taken to hospital. The dog was seized and remains in police kennels."

Read more: Two children and woman injured by pack of four 'dangerous out of control' dogs as arrest made

Read more: XL Bullies have created a 'new burden on policing' as forces have to look after dogs waiting for court hearings

The force confirm another incident happened when "a woman walking home with her baby in a carrier on her chest" was approached by an XL Bully.

The dog reportedly behaved in an "aggressive" way before leaping up to her baby.

In a third incident, an elderly woman and her grandchild were attacked by another loose dog in Sheffield. The police did not confirm the breed of this dog.

Chief Inspector Emma Cheney, who is leading the work on dangerous dogs across South Yorkshire, said in the statmnent: “Recently we have sadly seen another fatal incident in the UK of a dog causing death.

“People think it won’t happen to them, that their dog won’t cause harm, but it can happen to anyone. Any dog can cause fear and harm and owners who do not step up and prevent harm to our communities will not be tolerated.

“You are responsible for your dog’s actions, and we continue to put people before the courts.”

The police provided a warning to dog owners, explaining that dangerous dogs present a financial cost to the police each time they respond.

Ms Cheney addd: “We only have a limited number of resources, attending dangerous dog incidents takes officers away from other calls. If every owner steps up and makes small changes, we can make a difference.”

Dog owners are advised to visit the Blue Cross website to learn about training their dogs and teaching children how to behave around dogs.