The mother of a four-year-old girl attacked by an XL bully crossbreed has said the “dangerous” dog should be banned.
Luna Hobson was left with “quite significant injuries” to her face after she was attacked by the dog in Nuneaton in April.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said on Sunday she had commissioned “urgent advice” on banning the breed.
Her statement came after footage emerged of a dog attacking an 11-year-old girl in Birmingham, while police confirmed two men were taken to hospital after being bitten.
An owner of an XL bully has defended the breed but called for tougher rules on dog ownership.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Luna’s mother, Amy, told Sky News the dog was locked upstairs at a friend’s house but managed to get out and attack her daughter.
“He had opened the door and come down the stairs, so I put my hand out to stroke him – just as I always have done, never had a problem – then Luna put her left hand out to stroke him and say hello, and then he pushed her to the ground and then he started attacking her face,” she said.
Llanelli: Murder arrests after ‘devoted son’, 26, dies in ‘incident’
Police to step up patrols at seal pup hotspots in Pembrokeshire after reports of stones being thrown
Over 100 people rescued after incoming tide leaves them stranded on Welsh beach
“When he pushed her to the ground I thought he had pushed her by accident and he was licking her face. It was only when I heard her scream, I looked down and I actually saw the dog biting her.
“That’s when I started getting the dog off her, I started hitting him, punching him, I kicked him, I twisted his ears, I did everything to get him off.”
She said Luna needed surgery on the side of her face.
Ms Hobson said she thinks XL bully dogs should be banned, adding: “They are dangerous dogs. They are not safe around children at all.”
Mum of boy killed by dog asks why ban hasn’t been considered
The mum of a boy killed by an XL bully dog has questioned why Ms Braverman had not taken action sooner.
Jack Lis, 10, died after he was attacked by the dog called Beast while playing with a friend at a house near Caerphilly, South Wales, on 8 November 2021.
Two people were jailed last June after admitting to being in charge of the dog at the time.
Jack’s mother, Emma Whitfield, has been campaigning for new dog legislation in the UK since her son’s death.
She said it was “crazy” how politicians were “coming out of the woodwork” after the video went viral.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Ms Whitfield asked: “Where were you when my son was killed?
“Where were you when other innocent people were killed? Where were you when I was at parliament asking for change? Nowhere.”
She said if the government was planning to do something then “please do it”.
“It seems none of those in charge who could make changes wanted to listen to the victims’ families before now,” she added.
Read more:
Dog in ‘secure kennels’ as police wait to quiz owner
Two XL bullys shot dead after killing 22 pregnant sheep
Man mauled to death while looking after friend’s dog
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
In a tribute released after Jack’s death, his family said their lives would never be the same without him.
He was described as the “sweetest of boys” who would be “forever in our hearts”.
