An XL Bully dog owner tragically killed by the dangerous breed while celebrating her birthday had boasted "I don't give a f*** if you think he's aggressive", it has emerged.
Nicole Morley, 23, from Limerick in Ireland, had been set upon by the XL Bully and a Staffordshire Terrier in a horrific attack on Tuesday, June 4.
She had been returning from birthday celebrations with family and friends when the attack took place, with the belief among Irish investigators being the beasts mauled her to death as she opened her front door.
Armed Gardai (Irish police) were called to the scene - and officers shot one dog dead and took control of three more.
The dog owner had been seen posing with her XL Bully online
TikTok
The incident was caught on CCTV - and after it began circulating online, Gardai have urged members of the public not to share it.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, footage from Morley's TikTok account has emerged of her praising and defending her pets online - which, unbeknownst to her, would end up her killers.
The footage, which at the time showed a loving "dog mum" spending time with her pets, has since taken on a darker tone; in one video captioned "my boy", Morley can be seen dancing with the XL Bully with an audio track boasting: "This is my son, and I don't give a f*** if you think he looks aggressive."
The video continues: "I don't give a f*** if you don't like the look of him, and I certainly don't give a f*** if you think the breed should be banned."
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Nicole Morley was tragically killed by the dangerous breed while celebrating her birthday
TikTok/Facebook
And, in a harrowing development, it has also emerged the 23-year-old had asked for online advice about how to get her dog's behaviour under control.
She had written: "When I go to put my XL on the lead for walks, he's freaking out, running to the door out of excitement - but nearly too excited for us to even get the lead and collar on him."
Morey's sister Jolene paid tribute to her late family member, saying: "My heart is shattered once again on your birthday. I only hung up on you two seconds before, I really tried my best to help.
"I'm so sorry Nicole. I love you so much. It feels like a bit of a bad dream."
While her granduncle, 58-year-old Anthony O'Donnell, said other family members had been in touch to tell him what happened.
Morley was seen dancing with her XL Bully in videos posted online
TikTok
He said Morley had "opened the hall door to go in home when the dog attacked her, jumped out on top of her and attacked her".
O'Donnell continued: "By the time the Gardai got there, they were mauling her - the Gardai couldn't really get them off of her, they had to shoot the dog to get him off of her."
The news comes as calls grow in Ireland for a ban on what the UK classifies as a dangerous breed; though no dog breed is outright banned in the Republic, several are subject to restrictions.
James Madden, a vet on the working group looking into dog control measures in Ireland, told Irish broadcaster RTE: "I think we should consider introducing a ban on the XL Bully as has been introduced in the UK.
Currently in Northern Ireland there’s a ban coming on the XL Bully. I think we should follow the same route."
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.
A Gardai spokesperon said: "At approximately 11.40pm last night, Tuesday June 4, 2024, Gardai received report and attended an incident where a woman (23) was fatally injured following a dog attack at a domestic residence in Ballyneety, Co. Limerick.
"The woman was pronounced deceased at the scene by medical personnel.
"Her body has been removed from the scene to Mid Western Regional Hospital, Limerick, where a Post Mortem examination will take place."
