Horror as boy, 15, mauled by XL Bully with dog ‘humanely destroyed’ just a day after child savaged in separate attack
A 15-year-old boy is in hospital after being savaged by an XL Bully in south Wales - just a day after a child was also mauled.
Armed police swooped on a property in Pontlottyn, Caerphilly county, on Tuesday afternoon following a reports of a dog attack.
The lad was rushed to hospital for treatment but his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening, Gwent Police said.
The XL Bully - which police say was registered under the new government scheme- was seized and put down by a vet.
A force spokesperson said: "We were called to an address in Farm Road, Pontlottyn, Caerphilly, at around 3.20pm on Tuesday 28 May, following a report of a dog attack.
"Officers attended, along with specially trained firearms officers, and paramedics from the Welsh Ambulance Service.
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"A 15-year-old boy was taken to hospital for treatment.
"His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing.
Dangerous Dogs Act explained
After eleven horrific attacks in 1991, Home Secretary Kenneth Baker promised "to rid the country of the menace of these fighting dogs" by introducing the Dangerous Dogs Act.
The law is often considered controversial as it focuses on a dog's breed or looks instead of an individual dog's behaviour, and fails to stem the rise of dog attacks.
According to the RSPCA, over a third of the people killed by dogs since the act was brought in were attacked by legal breeds.
"The dog, an XL Bully, was DEFRA registered. The dog was humanely destroyed by a veterinary surgeon."
It comes just a day after a five-year-old boy was savaged in the head when an XL Bully pounced at a home in Hull.
He was left hospitalised following the mauling in Brazil Street on Monday.
Humberside Police said inquiries into the 11.45am incident were ongoing.
Since February 1 it has been illegal to own, breed, sell, exchange, gift or re-home an XL Bully in England and Wales without a certificate of exemption.
The breed was outlawed after it was accused of being behind the deaths of 11 people in just three years.
The hound was also alleged to have mauled many others.
All XL Bullies must be registered and they must have a muzzle on if they're out in public.
Owners and their dogs now face strict punishments without a certificate.
It comes as a mum-of-two in her 50s was mauled to death in her East London home by her two XL Bullies last week.
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Angeline Mahal, who had raised the dogs since they were puppies, was found dead in the hallway by her sons after the “awful attack” on May 20.
The two dogs, who were registered under the Government's new scheme, were seized by police.
Fatal XL Bully attacks
Woman in her 50s mauled to death at home by two XL Bully dogs in Hornchurch, East London on May 21, 2014.
Esther Martin, 68, was looking after her grandson in Jaywick, Essex, when dogs Bear and Beauty attacked her on February 3, 2024.
Ian "Scouse" Langley, 54, was protecting his puppy when the animal pounced on him outside a home in Sunderland in October 2023.
Ian Price, 52, was viciously savaged in September 2023 by the beasts as he tried to protect his elderly mum from them after they escaped.
Jonathan Hogg, 37, was killed in May 2023 entered the dog's pen when it went for him, leaving bite wounds on his arm, leg and head.
Natasha Johnston, 28, was mauled to death while walking a pack of dogs in January 2023 was believed to have been killed by her own pet - an American Bully XL.
Shirley Patrick, 83, died 17 days after being mauled in a “hellish”, violent dog attack in December 2022.
Ian Symes, 34, who was known to friends as "Wiggy", died at a recreation ground in Fareham, Hampshire, after the savage attack in August 2022.
Joanne Robinson, 43, was fatally mauled by pet Rocco at her home in Rotherham, South Yorkshire in July 2022.
Keven Jones, 62, went into cardiac arrest after being bitten by Cookie-Doe at Chanel Fong's home in Wrexham, North Wales in May 2022.
Bella-Rae Birch, one, was mauled to death in March 2022 at her home by the American Bully XL.
Jack Lis, 10, was killed by a hulking XL Bully dog named Beast in November 2021 as he played at friend's home in Caerphilly.