Killer dogs missing in Birmingham for over 24 hours caught by police after mauling owner to death
Police have captured two dogs thought to have been involved in the death of a 33-year-old man
PA/West Midlands Police
Police have captured two dogs thought to have been involved in the death of a 33-year-old man in the West Midlands on Wednesday.
Officers had launched a wide-ranging search for a pair of loose American Bulldogs after a man died from "significant injuries" when four of the animals were suspected to have attacked him in his own garden.
After a two-day search, West Midlands Police confirmed they had detained the two loose bulldogs on Friday morning.
On Thursday, the force said officers had rushed to Hereford Close in Rubery in the early hours of August 21 "to reports that a number of dogs were loose".
Police captured this dog and one more after their wide-ranging hunt came to a close
West Midlands PoliceA statement added that the police were "working on the belief that he had been attacked by at least one dog, which may have contributed to his death".
West Midlands Police's Superintendent Sally Simpson said yesterday: "This is a really tragic incident, and the family of the man are being supported by officers."
The search had involved police, vets, drones, the local authority and residents, and had stretched into last night.
And now, police have finally tracked down the two dogs on the run - a pair of American bulldogs, one brown and one black.
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We've detained two dogs which were being sought following an incident where a man died in Rubery.
— Birmingham Police (@BrumPolice) August 23, 2024
We'd like to thank everyone for their help and information. pic.twitter.com/RjIkCKQUXv
The search had involved police, vets, drones, the local authority and residents (file photo)
PA
Inspector Leanne Chapman, from West Midlands Police's Dog Unit, had told anyone who may have "taken in" the pair of bulldogs after finding them running loose to contact them as soon as possible.
Police were also quick to caution that none of the dogs involved were believed to be a banned breed.
That caution - and the 33-year-old's death - came just days after 53-year-old David Daintree was killed by his own pet dog in Accrington, Lancashire.
Officers shot the banned XL Bully on the scene as they felt they had "no alternative" - and wanted to protect others after the vicious animal killed its owner.
Peter Bleksley has called for a complete "extermination" of the XL Bully breed
GB News/PA
Deaths by dangerous dog have continued despite the imposition of a ban on one type - XL Bully dogs - back in February.
With a number of fatalities recorded since the ban, questions have been raised over its viability - with former police figures slamming the measures currently in place.
Former Metropolitan Police detective Peter Bleksley told GB News: "I've been saying this for some time... Here we are yet again, discussing the utterly needless loss of yet another life. These stories are happening far too frequently.
"You can't tell Rover not to kill someone just because he or she's been licensed. It is time now to round them up and as humanely as can possibly be done, exterminate them!"