Mum whose son, 10, died in XL Bully dog attack had to identify him by his shoe
A mum whose child was killed by an XL Bully says the Government must act NOW to stop the “plague of dog attacks”.
Emma Whitfield, 32, had to identify her 10-year-old son Jack Lis by his shoe after he was mauled to death by an XL Bully almost two years ago.
She says she is furious the Home Secretary has only just woken up to the “crazy” number of dog attacks in the UK after an 11-year-old was mauled by a bully-type dog. Home Secretary Suella Braverman this week called for ‘urgent advice’ about banning the XL Bully after a dog ran amok and injured three in Birmingham.
Emma Whitfield has backed a dangerous dog campaign since the death of her son (Rowan Griffiths / Daily Mirror)But Emma has slammed the Government’s failure to act and asks: “Where were you when my son was killed?” She says politicians have to “go deeper” than just banning the breed and need to target the “backyard breeders” and “thuggish” owners too.
“To stop this plague of dog attacks, banning XL bullies is not enough - we have to go further, we have to go deeper. They can’t just stop there. As soon as they say it’s banned then people are just going to move onto something else," she warned.
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“Please don’t stop at just banning the bully because action is also urgently needed against the backyard breeders and the dangerous and irresponsible owners. The ones who are abusing the dogs, those over breeding, the ones just turning out litter after litter for money with no concerns for the dogs’ welfare.
“I think banning the XL Bully would have to be the first step in changing the law but they have to tackle the backyard breeders too. It is crucial they look at tackling the whole picture - not just not part of it.”
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There have been 17 fatal dog attacks in the UK since Jack was killed in November 2021 - ten of those believed to be bully-type dogs. Emma spoke out after seeing the harrowing footage on Saturday of an XL Bully terrorising the public at a carwash in Birmingham. Reacting to the TikTok video, the Home Secretary described The American XL Bully as a “clear and lethal danger” to children. But Emma blasted the Government for not doing enough to stop the menace.
“It’s crazy how this video has gone viral and now politicians are coming out of the woodwork saying how bad it is. Where were you when my son was killed?” she asked. “The attack on my son plays over in my head day in and day out. Where were you when other innocent people were killed? Where were you when I was at Parliament asking for change? Nowhere. If you’re going to do something please do it."
Ana Paun was attacked by the American XL Bully dog in Bordesley Green, Birmingham (Anita Maric / SWNS)But she says she has little faith in the Government, adding: “I’m not filled with confidence in the Government because last month they said they were not banning the XL Bully but now (the Home Secretary) is saying she wants ‘urgent advice’. “ Emma earlier this year joined forces with The Mirror to call for change.
1. The overhaul of the Dangerous Dogs Act. An urgent review of the law is needed and tougher penalties should be considered.
2. Bring in a new law requiring owners to register certain breeds of dogs which could be potentially dangerous. Similar laws exist in France and Austria.
3. Anyone wanting to own a potentially dangerous breed of dog should be made to attend a training course and the dog should be assessed for its behaviour.
Emma says the Government’s reaction has left her ‘frustrated” and said: "Action is needed not talk. They need to stop pussy footing around. It’s frustrating that it has taken this for them to say something where before now they’ve kept pretty quiet.
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“I know they expressed condolences to me in PMQs but condolences mean nothing if they are not going to step up and do something. Stop pushing it to one side and think the problem is going to go away because it’s only going to get worse.”
Her son Jack suffered fatal injuries during a visit to a friend’s house after school in Caerphilly, South Wales. The seven stone XL Bully called ‘Beast’ savaged Jack as a police officer tried to save him. His mum had the horror of having to identify her son by his shoe in November 2021. She said: “They told us it was fatal and after that the police officer came back to see us with a black bag with a shoe in it. I didn’t look at it but I described the shoe and its size. I couldn’t look at it, so I just described it.”
The dog’s owners, Brandon Hayden and Amy Salter were later jailed but Salter could be released in time for Christmas. Talking about the devastating effect their son’s death has had on the whole family, she said: “It has affected every single area of our lives.
“It’s like you kind of start having a nightmare while you’re awake and you can’t stop it. Then if that happens I’m not leaving the house that day because I don’t want to go out or do anything.”
That’s what angers Emma, that politicians have only reacted now they’ve seen an attack with their own eyes” on the TikTok video. "It was like it wasn’t real to them before but if they’d sat down with me I would have told them what I’ve had to deal with. ”
Emma is concerned about calls to end breed specific legislation. She said: “The people who have been abusing this particular breed, the XL Bully, are drooling at the mouths at the thought they could get their hands on these former banned breeds too.
“In fact these banned breeds are already on the streets. I’ve seen adverts and videos for them on social media. We need to work on these backyard breeders and the thuggish owners ruining lives too.
“I think it’s disgusting for any breeder to treat dogs that way. It’s not just the XL Bullies there are a lot more breeds. When I see a dog with cropped ears it makes me think what are they (the owners) trying to achieve? Because a lot of them will say they are imported and they are not.
“Banning the XL bully will help right now but it will not stop people abusing the system and creating a replacement. We need to stop the XL Bully of course but it’s also about stopping the next vicious status dog to come along.”
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