Police seize 17 dogs and search a van after little girl is mauled by a pack of ‘XL Bullys’ on a playdate
- Girl was mauled by pack of American Bully-style dogs as she played in garden
- Police have now seized a total of 17 dogs as part of their investigation
Police have seized an additional 13 dogs and searched a van after a pack of ‘XL Bully’ dogs savaged a young girl playing in the street in Greater Manchester.
The six-year-old girl was mauled by four dogs just before 2.40pm on Sunday as she played with a friend in a neighbouring garden in Carrington.
The youngster was rushed to hospital by ambulance, where she remains in a stable condition.
Greater Manchester Police have now seized 17 dogs in total after originally taking four from the property. Last night they confirmed specialist officers had removed a further four adult dogs and nine puppies.
So far three people have been arrested on suspicion of owning a dangerous dog and have since been released on bail.
The little girl was savaged by four American Bully-style dogs as she played in a neighbour’s garden (Pictured: A stock image of an American Bully dog)
The breeder’s house in Greater Manchester pictured today with a dog bowl outside
As part of the investigation, a van has also been found in south Manchester and is being examined.
Detective Inspector Matthew Dixon, of GMP’s Trafford district, said: ‘This is a fluid investigation and so far we have recovered 17 dogs and made three arrests, as well as a vehicle of interest.
‘However, the investigation is very much ongoing and anyone with information should contact police quoting log 1612-26/03/23.’
Greater Manchester Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over the incident.
Neighbours told MailOnline how the little girl’s mother screamed: ‘Help me – my baby’ as she tried to fight off the animals.
Her mother, father and neighbours ran to pull the dogs off the screaming girl on Sunday afternoon. Neighbours claim the dogs escaped from a neighbour’s home and attacked her as she played in a front garden in Carrington, Greater Manchester.
One neighbour said: ‘He’s a breeder. You see loads of these Bully-type dogs there.
Police arrested three people on suspicion of owning a dangerous dog. Pictured, a map showing the location of the attack
The attack took place just before 2.40pm on Sunday on Ackers Lane
‘There were puppies he kept in a caravan.
‘The police have been here loads of times to speak to him about different things.
‘This was an accident waiting to happen.’
Another neighbour said: ‘We were all alerted by the horrible screams.
‘I heard her mum scream: ‘Help me, help me – my baby.’
‘We ran out and the girl just screamed and then went limp.
‘She was covered in blood. Her mum and dad and some neighbours were pulling off the dogs.
‘It was horrendous. She’s only little.
‘Her parents drove to hospital as they thought it would be quicker.
‘The girl was in a bad way. She had been bitten on her face and head.
‘I am just hope she’s going to be OK. It is not the first time the police have been to his house.’
Last year alone, the UK saw nearly 22,000 cases of out-of-control dogs causing injury, compared to the around 16,000 cases recorded in 2018, BBC reported .
Despite the 37 per cent rise in recorded cases, the dog population in the UK is estimated to have only increased by 15 per cent.
NHS data released last year revealed the number of Britons being mauled by dogs has grown dramatically since 2008 – a rate of 15 cases for every 100,000 of the UK population.
In all, those requiring hospital treatment following a dog attack has more than doubled in the last 15 years – with over 10,000 people now requiring specialist medical care each year.
Ten people were tragically killed as a result of dog attacks in 2022, compared to five deaths in 2021 and two in 2020.
