‘XL Bully disfigured my child, I thought she would die – breed should be banned’

A mum whose young daughter was left scarred for life in an XL Bully attack has called for the breed to be banned.

Amy Hobson, 32, was visiting a friend's house with her children when the dog – who the family knew well – attacked four-year-old Luna after managing to escape from a bedroom.

Ms Hobson said she thought the dog was going to kill Luna as it climbed on top of her and started mauling her face – despite showing no signs of aggression in the past.

READ MORE: Girl, 11, mauled by American XL Bully slams owner and says it 'was eating other people'

She told the Independent: "It was horrifying, it’s the scariest thing I’ve ever seen.

"If I hadn’t got the dog off Luna, he would have killed her. When she screamed I knew something was wrong."

Ms Hobson said she kicked and punched the dog and grabbed its ears, hoping to rescue her daughter from the attack.

Fortunately the terrified mum and the dog's owners eventually managed to get the canine away from Luna, but not before she suffered devastating injuries to her face including a large cut to the inside of her mouth.

• 

  Brutal dog attack sees canine clamp down on bloke where no man wants to be bit

The mother and daughter took a taxi to George Eliot General Hospital as there was a four-hour wait for an ambulance, but little Luna was immediately transferred to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire where she had to stay overnight before undergoing surgery.

The four-year-old was given more than 40 stitches and plastic surgery and may even need another operation to her face – but will have the scars from the attack for the rest of her life.

Ms Hobson said her daughter was left traumatised by the attack and is now terrified of dogs, but is beginning to return to her "happy, confident self".

Meanwhile the aggressive dog is being held in police kennels after being seized under the Dangerous Dog Act and remains in police kennels.

Following the attack, Ms Hobson backed widespread calls to ban XL Bullies, who have made headlines in recent months following a spate of attacks.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has even said the breed shouldn't be allowed in the UK.

Taking to social media, the politician wrote: "This is appalling. The American XL Bully is a clear and lethal danger to our communities, particularly to children.

"We can't go on like this. I have commissioned urgent advice on banning them."

And Ms Hobson agreed, but said even if the breed can't be outlawed, other measures should be taken to prevent future attacks like the one Luna suffered.

"I think they should ban the breed, but if they’re not willing to ban them, it should be made law to muzzle them in public," she said.

To get more stories from Daily Star delivered straight to your inbox sign up to one of our free newsletters here.

Source: Read Full Article