Dog attack in Ketton prompts support for American XL bully ban
A man who stepped in when a ‘fighting’ dog savaged his neighbours’ pet spaniel has described the attack.
John Brown was at home in Manor Green, Ketton, when he heard shouting outside in the street.
“I heard a man screaming ‘Help me! Help me!’ and so I looked out of the window and could see he had a dog. I then ran out through the front door – I was in my socks.
“There was a man with a spaniel on a lead and a big dog had it by the neck.”
Several other neighbours came running out of their homes but everyone kept their distance.
“I wasn’t going to risk grabbing this animal,” said John.
“So I ran back inside thinking I needed some sort of weapon.”
John went into his garden, grabbed a spade and returned to the street.
“I said ‘stand back’ and whacked the animal over the head” John said. “It was a direct hit and the dog let the spaniel go.
“The bigger dog walked along the street a little way. It was wagging its tail and didn’t seem to be in any distress.”
The dog that had been attacked, a cocker spaniel called Elsie, was being looked after by a dog sitter while her owners, Lesley and Neil Beckingham, were on holiday to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.
One of the neighbours took Elsie, along with the dog sitter, to a veterinary centre.
“The poor spaniel was limp,” said John.
Another neighbour phoned ahead to let the vet know a badly injured dog was coming in and, when she arrived, Elsie was examined and found to have puncture wounds and suspected internal organ damage.
Lesley and Neil were phoned and after a long discussion with the vet took the heartbreaking decision to have their dog put down.
Meanwhile, a man who lives in Ketton had come out with a chain for the bigger dog.
John said: “He called it and it came to him, and he put the chain on it, which was a relief to us all. I had been running on adrenaline.”
Police were called and the man with the dog that carried out the attack remained at the scene until officers arrived.
No arrests were made, and it is understood that the man with the dog may not have been its owner.
Having received news of the attack three days into a fortnight’s holiday, Lesley and Neil have since returned home and are still coming to terms with what happened on September 18.
Lesley said: “We were naturally very shocked and remain so. This was the very last thing we ever thought would happen in our own village, to our own dog, right behind our house. It’s been very difficult to process and caused us considerable stress and upset.
“Sadly, Elsie’s injuries were considered by the vet to be very serious and, coupled with the psychological trauma she would have suffered, we made the difficult decision after lengthy discussions, to have her put to sleep.
“You never know whether you have made the right decision, especially as we could not be with her as she passed away, but we have to reassure ourselves that we did.”
The Beckinghams rehomed Elsie in 2020. She was an ex-showdog who had developed anxiety around other dogs.
Her new owners worked with a local dog trainer to help Elsie become happier, and used dog sitters while they were on holiday so Elsie could remain in her own home.
Lesley said the dog sitters were ‘deeply traumatised’ by what had happened and that she and Neil were grateful for their efforts to save Elsie, and for clearing their home of her things so they were not a painful reminder when they returned home.
She added: “We loved our dog very much. Anyone who has a pet knows they are family members, and any loss is heartbreaking. In these circumstances it has been a hugely traumatic experience.”
Police have recorded the attack as involving an ‘American XL bully’ although the exact breed of the dog may not be easy to identify.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak has decided to ban that particular breed – something Rutland MP Alicia Kearns (Con) agrees is the right decision.
She said: “Recent attacks across the country, including a tragic fatality, reinforce the need for urgent action to define and ban this breed and put an end to these violent attacks so we can keep our families safe.”
John also thinks something could be done to reduce the risk of further attacks.
“I’m uncomfortable that someone can have an animal like that,” he said.
“It’s a big, powerful dog with powerful jaws.
“We don’t have dog licences or any regulation. As a minimum step there should be a register and a licence fee, although it comes down to the owners.
“If you’re a dog-lover you don’t have to have a dog with that capacity for danger.”
Lesley and Neil have seen a photo of the dog that attacked Elsie and think might have been a Staffordshire bull terrier with clipped ears for fighting. It also had visible scars on its neck.
The couple support a ban on dogs imported into the country for fighting purposes, a ban on the XL bully, and want a formal registration system for all dogs and owners.
In a letter to MP Mrs Kearns, they have suggested a change is the law is required, to ensure people who allow their dogs off the lead - which then subsequently cause injury or distress - should be fined heavily.
What do you think should be done? Email smeditor@stamfordmercury.co.uk
