A man is calling for dog licenses return after his family Jack Russell bit his mum’s lip off, saying the ‘scream of pain and terror’ are still etched in his mind.
The debate around dog ownership has heightened recently after it was confirmed that the government would be banning XL bullys, in the wake of a terrifying attack in Birmingham that left an 11-year-old girl requiring stitches.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed the breed will be banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act, saying new laws will be in place 'by the end of the year'.
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Addressing the public in a video message, he said: “The American XL bully dog is a danger to our communities, particularly our children.
“I share the nation’s horror at the recent videos we’ve all seen. Yesterday we saw a another suspected XL bully dog attack, which has tragically led to a fatality.”
He added: “These dogs are dangerous, I want to reassure the public that we will take all necessary steps to keep people safe.”
But it’s not just XL bullys that are under scrutiny right now.
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One man believes we must go much further, arguing that dog licenses are vital to keeping people and other animals safe.
Writing for the Daily Mail, Stephen Pollard explained how his mother was once attacked by the family pet, who was actually a small breed not known for violence.
He said his ‘sweet little’ Jack Russell, named Victor, was ‘trained, obedient and good-natured', and was very much part of the family.
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However, one day he suddenly took aim at Pollard’s mother.
“That fateful evening, I was sitting watching TV,” he recalled.
“My mother was downstairs, ironing in the utility room. I can even remember the programme I was watching — the whole episode is seared into my memory.
“The theme song to Angels, a BBC hospital soap, had just started. After about ten seconds I heard the first piercing scream. More followed, accompanied by shouts and high-pitched, very loud crying.
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“Thank God I was spared seeing it happen. It was bad enough hearing it and witnessing the grisly aftermath. I ran downstairs, to see my mother bleeding uncontrollably and in unimaginable pain. Her upper lip had been torn off her face.
“Victor had bitten it clean away, and attacked again when my desperate mum pushed him away.”
He said his mum had simply bent down to pick up an item of clothing from a basket on the floor and that Victor ‘went for her, like a wild animal’.
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She was taken to hospital – which was thankfully only a few minutes away – and later had her lip rebuilt using flesh taken from other parts of her body.
The next day, Pollard’s father drove Victor to the vet to have him put down.
Pollard is now calling for the government to ‘bring back dog licences’ so that ‘every owner is forced to hold one for every dog they own’.
“And if it is a new owner, they should have a licence in place before the dog is introduced into their home,” he said.
“This would provide essential and accurate information about how many dogs there are in this country, and what breeds they are.”
Pollard added: “I know full well that no amount of licences would have stopped Victor going for my mother. Sometimes, an animal’s primal instincts will simply take over.
“But all too often, as we are seeing with XL bullies and similar breeds, owners encourage the dogs to be violent and intimidating, by the way they are trained and how they are bred.
“Under a dog licensing scheme, these egregious owners would be found out and forced to give up their pets. And Britain’s streets would be the safer for it.”
Jess Hardiman