Three-year-old boy has surgery after being mauled by family's XL bully
A three-year-old boy has undergone surgery after he was mauled by his family's XL bully.
The child tried to climb on the dog, before it attacked him, biting his face.
He was left "seriously bleeding" according to police, who attended the incident at lunchtime on Monday in Doncaster along with the ambulance service.
After being taken to hospital, the boy underwent surgery for his wounds.
The family's pet had been registered under recent legislation. It has since been seized by police and remains in kennels as the investigation continues.
Police are now urging parents to take action and never leave children unsupervised.
Also on Monday, there were two other attacks by dogs suspected to be XL bullys.
Police shot and killed a "dangerously out of control" dog, believed to be an XL bully, in Battersea, south London.
Also, a chihuahua was killed and a woman was injured in an attack in Glasgow by two XL bully-type dogs.
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Speaking about the Doncaster incident, Chief Inspector Emma Cheney, leading the work on dangerous dogs in South Yorkshire, said: "This family have acknowledged the change in legislation around the XL bully and registered their dog, but this doesn't remove the danger that these dogs pose and why the ban has come into place.
"All dogs can be aggressive; they are animals, but some dogs have greater capability to cause harm due to their size and strength.
"Children should never be unsupervised when with dogs, even family pets that you believe 'would never hurt' your children.
"A dog's instinct to protect itself is to bite. Parents should ensure children learn to respect a dog's space and be encouraged to have boundaries around feeding and resting times.
"An incident like this is a stark reminder that regardless of a dog's nature, or previous interactions with children, other dogs and people, they are animals and their innate instinct is to protect themselves which can result in serious injuries and sometimes fatality.
"Take action now and protect your children."
