An eight-year-old boy has described himself as “lucky” after he survived a“terrifying” encounter with an XL Bully, which mauled his arm and face.
The young boy was walking home from school in the Mulhuddart area of Blanchardstown, Dublin on Tuesday, when the attack occurred.
He was walking to his cousin’s house nearby when the dog started sniffing him, before the boy turned around to avoid the fiendish pooch.
However, the dog then jumped up and grabbed hold of the eight-year-old, dragging him to the ground.
An XL Bully was involved in an attack in Dublin (stock pic)
GETTYHe only managed to survive by kicking and punching the XL Bully, which made it stop and then ran away.
The eight-year-old told The Irish Sun: “I didn’t know it was going to happen. When I walked towards the garden, he was sniffing me, so I turned around and he jumped up and grabbed a hold of me. And then his two paws tried to pull me down.
“It pounced on me. Thankfully, it just lasted for a few seconds, because I kicked its back leg and then it kind of stopped. And then he jumped back up, so I gave it a punch and he went away.”
He received hospital treatment for wounds to his face and arm. He has had to take time off school to recover from his injuries.
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“I’m used to dogs, I’ve two dogs out the back myself. They play with me. But this was bad. It was terrifying. I was very lucky. My arm is the sorest part,” he continued.
His father said it was a miracle that his son managed to escape, stating that a smaller child would not have been so lucky.
The dog was removed from the scene by the council’s dog warden after being alerted about the attack.
The eight-year-old’s mother told the publication: “It was just a stray dog, we don’t know who owns the dog. It is gone, I know that. The pound took it yesterday.”
It has been an offence to have an XL Bully without a lead or muzzle since February in England, Wales and Scotland (file photo)ReutersA Fingal County Council spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we’re currently investigating the incident and are awaiting a full report from the dog warden. We don’t have any additional information to share at this stage.”
Since February 1, it has been an offence to sell, abandon, give away, breed, or walk an unleashed and unmuzzled XL Bully dog in England and Wales - with Scotland imposing the same legislation on February 23.
In Ireland, on October 1, people were banned from breeding, rehoming, reselling and importing XL bully dogs.
From February 2025, there will be a ban on owning an XL Bully unless the owner has secured a “certificate of exemption”.
