Latest news with #AmericanXL
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
MP bitten by dog while posting election leaflets
An MP has called on pet owners to keep dogs away from letter boxes after he was bitten while delivering leaflets. Exeter Labour MP Steve Race needed hospital treatment after his finger was bitten by a dog as he posted campaign material, he said. He is backing a campaign by the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and Blue Cross charity urging dog owners to make sure pets are not a risk to people delivering to their homes. He said: "I have had a bit of a taste of what postal workers and delivery workers have every day of their lives." Race said he needed treatment at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital after being bitten on 1 May. He said an X-ray found a bone in his little finger was chipped and debris from the dog's mouth was in the wound. Race said many people were unaware they could be prosecuted if their dog attacked a delivery person - even if the contact was made via letter box. "I'm working with the CWU and the Blue Cross to showcase the online resources that are available to help dog owners to effectively manage this risk," he added. Two other politicians have also been attacked by dogs in Devon and backed Race's call for more responsible dog ownership. Former North Devon Conservative MP Selaine Saxby said she was door-knocking last May when someone's pet took "a chunk" out of her leg. She said the dog came out of the back door of a house she knocked at but there was no sign on the gate suggesting dogs were running loose. "The height of the bite was that of a child's face - and it would have been very different if it had been a child," she said. She said she needed hospital treatment and was left feeling more nervous of dogs after the attack. "We have people delivering to our homes every day and it should be safe for posties and deliveries. If not, there should be signs and a box at the end of the drive," she added. Torbay Liberal Democrat MP Steve Darling, whose guide dog Jennie suffered injuries after being attacked by an American XL bully, said he wanted work done to prevent all dog attacks, not just those on delivery people. He said on a separate occasion he was bitten by a small terrier and believed the safety issue was not about specific breeds but about socialisation and tighter laws around dog control. "At the time Jennie was attacked, there was a lot of furore surrounding XL bullies, but I do not believe it is about banning a breed - it is about correct socialisation of dogs and responsible ownership." Kerry Taylor, education manager at the Blue Cross, said: "Every year thousands of postal workers are injured by dogs. "Most of these situations could have been prevented and most of these dogs are family pets that owners never dreamt could scare or harm anyone." More news stories for Devon Listen to the latest news for Devon Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ Campaign to protect postal staff from dog attacks Mail deliveries halted over dog running loose Election candidate's fingertip bitten off by dog Protecting your postie
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
MP bitten by dog while posting election leaflets
An MP has called on pet owners to keep dogs away from letter boxes after he was bitten while delivering leaflets. Exeter Labour MP Steve Race needed hospital treatment after his finger was bitten by a dog as he posted campaign material, he said. He is backing a campaign by the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and Blue Cross charity urging dog owners to make sure pets are not a risk to people delivering to their homes. He said: "I have had a bit of a taste of what postal workers and delivery workers have every day of their lives." Race said he needed treatment at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital after being bitten on 1 May. He said an X-ray found a bone in his little finger was chipped and debris from the dog's mouth was in the wound. Race said many people were unaware they could be prosecuted if their dog attacked a delivery person - even if the contact was made via letter box. "I'm working with the CWU and the Blue Cross to showcase the online resources that are available to help dog owners to effectively manage this risk," he added. Two other politicians have also been attacked by dogs in Devon and backed Race's call for more responsible dog ownership. Former North Devon Conservative MP Selaine Saxby said she was door-knocking last May when someone's pet took "a chunk" out of her leg. She said the dog came out of the back door of a house she knocked at but there was no sign on the gate suggesting dogs were running loose. "The height of the bite was that of a child's face - and it would have been very different if it had been a child," she said. She said she needed hospital treatment and was left feeling more nervous of dogs after the attack. "We have people delivering to our homes every day and it should be safe for posties and deliveries. If not, there should be signs and a box at the end of the drive," she added. Torbay Liberal Democrat MP Steve Darling, whose guide dog Jennie suffered injuries after being attacked by an American XL bully, said he wanted work done to prevent all dog attacks, not just those on delivery people. He said on a separate occasion he was bitten by a small terrier and believed the safety issue was not about specific breeds but about socialisation and tighter laws around dog control. "At the time Jennie was attacked, there was a lot of furore surrounding XL bullies, but I do not believe it is about banning a breed - it is about correct socialisation of dogs and responsible ownership." Kerry Taylor, education manager at the Blue Cross, said: "Every year thousands of postal workers are injured by dogs. "Most of these situations could have been prevented and most of these dogs are family pets that owners never dreamt could scare or harm anyone." More news stories for Devon Listen to the latest news for Devon Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ Campaign to protect postal staff from dog attacks Mail deliveries halted over dog running loose Election candidate's fingertip bitten off by dog Protecting your postie
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Yahoo
84-year-old U.K. man dies 5 weeks after attack by banned XL bully dog
A British family is mourning the death of an 84-year-old father, grandfather and great grandfather who was killed by a banned breed of dog in an attack that left him battling serious injuries for five weeks. John McColl was attacked by an American XL bully, a dog breed that was banned in the U.K. only a year ago after a series of deadly attacks. According to CBS News' partner network BBC News, McColl was walking to his home in the county of Cheshire in central England on Feb. 24 when the dog chased him into a front yard, where he was mauled. Responding police officers shot and killed the dog. McColl "fought hard," but died in a regional hospital on March 30 surrounded by loved ones, his family said in a statement shared by the Cheshire Police. "As a family we are absolutely devastated with what has happened to John," they said. "He fought hard for the last five weeks but he decided he could not fight any more and passed away on Sunday." "Our dad, grandad and great grandad will always be loved by us all and sadly missed by each and every one of us," the family said, adding their thanks to the emergency services who helped McColl at the scene, along with local residents "who also came to his aide and the staff at Aintree and Whiston hospitals for all that they did for him and us as a family." A 30-year-old local man, Sean Garner, was arrested two days after the attack and has been charged with owning a dog "dangerously out of control causing serious injury," in addition to possession of a fighting dog, the police said. According to the BBC, the Cheshire Police have been considering additional charges since McColl's death. A ban on XL bully dogs came into effect in February 2024 in England and Wales following a spate of violent attacks, obligating any existing owners to apply for an exemption, which requires proof of neutering and liability insurance, to keep their pets. Under the law, XL bullies must be muzzled and kept on a leash in public. At the time the ban came into effect, more than 35,000 dogs in the U.K. were already registered for XL bully exemptions. Before 2021, there were only about three fatal dog attacks per year in the U.K., but since that year there have been at least two dozen, many of them involving XL bullies, according to BBC News. "These dogs aren't cared for by the breeders — they just want money — so from the greed at the start (and) irresponsible ownership in the middle, we've got children dying," Emma Whitfield, whose 10-year-old son was killed by an XL bully in 2021, said before the ban was enacted. "My youngest son started comprehensive school last week, and he should have had his big brother showing him the ropes, but he's had to do it on his own. We're missing a massive piece of our family." What is an XL bully? An American bully is not identified by the U.K. Kennel Club as a specific dog breed. Rather, it is a type of bulldog that is the result of mixing several dog breeds, including Pit Bulls, American Bulldogs and English Bulldogs. The U.K. government published guidance to help identify the dogs in which it describes them as having "a muscular body and blocky head, suggesting great strength and power for [their] size." Before the addition of American XL bullies, the selling, owning, breeding and abandoning of four other dog breeds was and remains illegal in the U.K.: the Pit bull terrier, the Dogo Argentino, the Japanese Tosa and the Fila Brasileiro. If someone has a dog that is one of these breeds, it can be taken by police, even if there have been no complaints against it. Democratic-backed candidate wins record-breaking Wisconsin Supreme Court seat Busy Port of Oakland prepares for Trump's tariffs Breaking down the Wisconsin, Florida election results
BBC News
12-03-2025
- BBC News
XL Bully among two dogs seized after attacking man in Leven
Two dogs including an XL Bully have been seized after attacking a man in in riot gear responded to the incident at a property in Kingsdale Gardens, Kennoway, near Leven, at about 12:40 on Wednesday.A 44-year-old man was injured and taken to Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy for animals were seized by police and are expected to be destroyed. Restrictions on American XL bully-type dogs came into force in Scotland last of the breed, which have been linked to a series of attacks across the UK, risk a fine for failing to muzzle the animals and keep them on a lead in abandonment, breeding, exchanging or selling of the dogs has also been banned.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Yahoo
Two men left injured after ‘XL Bully attack' at shop in Eltham
Two men have been left injured after a suspected attack by an American XL bully dog. The incident happened at a shop in Eltham High Street just before 3.20pm on January 25. Officers attended and found that a 25-year-old man had allegedly attacked a shop worker and a dog, believed to be an XL Bully, reportedly bit two men. The man was tasered as he tried to leave and he was arrested on suspicion of actual bodily harm and being in possession of a dog which was dangerously out of control. He remains in custody for questioning. The injuries of the two men, who were bitten, are not life-changing or life-threatening. Cordons and road closures which were put in place for safety were removed shortly after. Police enquiries are ongoing. A spokesperson for Metropolitan Police said: 'Police were called at 3.18pm on Saturday, 25 January to reports of a dog attack in Eltham. 'Officers attended the scene at Eltham High Street, SE9, where a 25-year-old man had allegedly attacked a shop worker and a dog, believed to be an XL Bully, had allegedly bitten two men also present. 'The man was Tasered when he tried to leave and subsequently arrested on suspicion for actual bodily harm and being in possession of a dog which was dangerously out of control. 'He remains in custody for questioning. 'The injuries of the two adults who were bitten are not life-changing or life-threatening. 'Cordons and road closures which were put in place for safety were removed shortly afterwards. 'Enquiries are ongoing.'
