A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD girl was mauled by an XL Bully as she walked to a postbox to send a letter.
Lydia’s dad Matt had to “lie on top” of the dog, which had escaped from a nearby garden, after it continuously lunged at his daughter.
Lydia was attacked by an XL Bully (stock image)getty
He recalled Lydia’s screams and seeing blood gushing from her wounds as he frantically tried to fight the animal off.
“It was remarkable strong,” he told the BBC, adding that things could have been a lot worse.
“I could be dealing with the fact that she’s not with me and she’s been killed. That kept me awake at night.”
Lydia was rushed to hospital following the attack last year and has been left traumatised.
Matt said in the weeks after the lucky escape his daughter would scream every time her bandages needed changing.
She even jumped into her dad’s arms when a dog came near them in a park.
The girl said: “I still like little dogs but I don’t like the dogs that look like the one that bit me.”
Matt has questioned why anyone would want to own one of the dogs – which were banned by the Government on February 1 2024.
Seven people have been killed by the breed since then, with experts in agreement the action hasn’t worked.
It comes after a map revealed the UK’s “danger dog” hotspots with 114 hell hounds seized in a week.
Earlier this year police chiefs warned the Bully legislation won’t be an “overnight fix”.
Under the change to the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, it became illegal to own an XL Bully without a certificate of exemption.
Then-PM Rishi Sunak had announced the ban following a flurry of attacks involving the breed.
Groups including the RSPCA and Dogs Trust also said the move would not stop the attacks, pointing to a “lack of data” to support such an assumption.
Meanwhile, Chief Constable Mark Harborough admitted in January the National Police Chiefs’ Council were yet to see any evidence the legislation change had led to a reduction in incidents.
And Patrick O’Hara, the NPCC’s tactical lead for dangerous dogs, added no forces have reported a reduction in incidents and many are putting in additional staff to cope with the extra demand.
Brits killed by XL Bullies since last February…
Esther Martin (February 3, 2024)
Angeline Mahal (May 20, 2024)
David Daintree (August 20, 2024)
Nicholas Glass (August 21, 2024)
Savannah Bentham (November 1, 2024)
Michelle McLeod (December 7, 2024)
Morgan Dorsett (February 26, 2025)
Lydia’s dad Matt was taken by the BBC to meet Lily Collins, an XL Bully owner from Redditch, Worcestershire.
The dog, named Doug, is muzzled on kept on a lead during the meeting in a local park.
“I don’t find myself uncomfortable like this very often,” he admitted.
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