Owner of Pocket Bully dog that attacked boy, 5, says child 'was in the wrong'

Daily Mirror

4 hours ago

Aaron Eccles, who was previously homeless and lived with the Pocket Bully, said his dog is fiercely loyal and that the attack was a 'genuine mistake' with no malicious intent
The owner of a Bully dog which attacked a five-year-old boy claims it was a "genuine mistake" and said the child was "in the wrong". Arron Eccles' Pocket Bully attacked Antonio Quinn after the boy came into the house and startled the pet.
The dog left Antonio with injuries to his face and legs. Antonio went on to need a three-hour-long operation and the pet as well as a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, owned by Aaron's partner, were taken away from the site of the attack. But Aaron, 34, has defended his pet, telling The Sun: "It's a genuine mistake and the parents aren't accepting the fact that their child's in the wrong for coming into the house."
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Arron also said he would be happy for his pet to play with his own six-month-old son.
Antonio's stunned mum Amanda Holmes slammed the owner's claim and said the child was "very lucky to be alive", insisting he was not at all to blame. She claimed that "trying to justify" the dog's behaviour was "sickening".
Aaron said he arrived home on May 26 to some "20 armed officers" outside, and claimed the incident did not mean his Pocket Bully Harry was "dangerous". Antonio was attacked after he followed Aaron's six-year-old stepson into the home in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire.
The Staffy was kept in a cage to keep her away from Harry. Aaron went on to say: "I came back and there's 20 armed police terrorising my dogs, pepper spraying them and winding them up. He got reported as an XL Bully but it wasn't. He's a Pocket Bully."
Pocket Bully dogs are not covered by the ban on XL Bully dogs. The ban was introduced by the previous Conservative government following several brutal attacks on people, and now owners need valid certificates of exemption to own them.
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Aaron said there would not have been a similar response if they knew Harry was smaller than an XL Bully. He added most dogs react to an "intruder" in their territory.
"The dog's never met the little boy before so he's thought he's an intruder and he's nipped him to warn him to get out," he said. "He hasn't grabbed hold of him and shook him about - nothing like how it's been portrayed."
Aaron said his partner told her son not to go back into the house and added: "It's a genuine mistake and the parents aren't accepting the fact that their child's in the wrong for coming into the house."
Aaron was previously homeless with Harry and credits him as his only companion. He added the dog is extremely loyal to him and normally acts "like a teddy bear".