Lee Parkin had been the proud owner of his terrier-spaniel cross Izzy for nearly 10 years when he stepped out for what would be his last walk with his beloved pet. He was walking Izzy near his home in Doncaster when an XL bully pounced on her, mounting a 20-minute attack and ultimately killing the dog in front of Parkin, who desperately intervened in vain.
“It was such a nice day,” he said. “We were walking a normal field where I go, and I saw this dog loose. It appeared wild by its demeanour.” Parkin, 50, took his dog through a gate but found himself cornered. The dog approached and started circling them. And then, he says, “it just grabbed her”. He did his best to fight the dog off, but his efforts were futile. A passerby gave him a lift to the vet but Izzy was “bleeding so profusely” he could hear her choking on her own blood. Her bones had been crushed.
The owners were handed a caution and the dog remains alive and living nearby. Parkin welcomes the incoming ban on XL bullies but says he does not think it is enough and it will not work. He believes the majority of XL bully owners will not be fazed by the ban and will keep their dogs and ignore the new law and regulations. “The only effective thing that I’ve seen the police doing is turning up and shooting these dogs, which is what I think they should be doing,” Parkin adds.
In a separate incident, Marie Hay’s Siberian husky, Naevia, survived a savage attack on the beach in Redcar by two XL bullies but has been left with life-changing injuries. Naevia lost 83% of her blood and required multiple operations. Hay, like Parkin, has been left with mental scars and struggles to go out for walks. Both owners support the ban but remain in fear.
