'Horror dog attack on defenceless girl has to be last straw for XL Bully breed'

11 September 2023 , 18:24

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Ana Paun with her arm bandaged after being attacked by the American XL Bully dog in Birmingham (Image: Anita Maric / SWNS)

As a father it sent a shiver down my spine.

That harrowing, terrifying video of a crossbreed Bully XL/Staffordshire Bull Terrier biting into the arm of 11-year-old Ana Paun surely has to signal a line in the sand.

Those images of the other men battling to save her, then running for their lives as the dog turns its attention towards them, have resonated with millions around the country. Those desperate pictures of a man grabbing a rake to try and whack the dog at a petrol station in a bid to release its jaws from the shoulder of another man amid chaotic scenes mirror so many over the last three years.

The XL Bully breed is single-handedly responsible for the increase in dog mauling deaths during this time and most of the non-lethal biting incidents.

(Shutterstock / BAUER Alexandre)

That footage circulating online over the weekend was taken in Birmingham, but it could have been anywhere across the country. The Mirror has campaigned time and again on it.

Girl, 4, mauled to death in dog attack pictured as neighbours hear mum's screams

Some young children have been killed, others – along with men and women – have suffered life-changing injuries at the hands of these animals. As a father of girls of a similar age to Ana, it is heartbreaking that it has taken the weekend’s terrible pictures to force people to wake up.

This column is no friend of reprehensible, divisive and grandstanding Home Secretary Suella Braverman. But it is fully behind her push for a ban on the breed she describes as a “clear and lethal danger” – particularly to kids.

Do you think American XL bully dogs should be banned? Vote in our poll HERE to have your say.

Hopefully she will receive support from Environment Secretary Therese Coffey, whose department has concerns about adding the dogs to the banned list. Because action cannot come soon enough. It is shameful that we are having to walk our streets in fear of dogs bred to be aggressive.

Opponents claim it is a case of irresponsible owners rather than dangerous dogs. If I’m the father of Ana, or the parent of the many kids who have lost their lives, I’m not interested.

Every day we wait to take action, we are a step closer to another attack. I’d rather keep kids safe than give in to the entitlement of people who care more about dogs than humans.

Darren Lewis