Attack by suspected banned XL bully dog leaves woman with ‘potentially life-changing’ injuries
Police forced to use protective shields to go into house
A woman suffered potentially life-changing injuries in an attack by a dog suspected of being a banned XL bully, police say.
Officers were called at about 4.15pm on Thursday after a woman was bitten by a dog at a home in Bristol.
They used protective shields to ensure their own safety while going into the address in Sutton Avenue, Brislington.
The woman, believed to be in her forties, was taken to hospital by ambulance with potentially life-changing injuries, Avon and Somerset Constabulary said.
The dog is believed to be an XL bully, but the breed has not been confirmed and it is not yet known whether the animal belonged to the victim.
The force said officers were still at the scene, where the dog had been safely caught, pending the arrival of specialist dog handlers.
Numerous police officers and an air ambulance had been called to the scene, according to Bristol Live.
Owning an XL bully without a certificate of exemption was outlawed last year following a series of attacks involving the breed, including the fatal mauling of a man by two dogs near Walsall in the West Midlands.
The XL is the largest of four types of American Bully, and was cross-bred for fighting, with a muscular body. It can weigh nine stone and has a powerful bite.
Dog attacks rose in the first five months of the ban on the breed, figures obtained by The Independent revealed this year.