- By Thomas Mackintosh and Barry Caffrey
- BBC News
London Ambulance Service attended Pasley Park after man was bitten
A man was rushed to hospital on Friday evening after being attacked by a dog, believed to be an XL American bully, in a south London park.
The Metropolitan Police said the victim, in his 40s, was bitten on the arm in Pasley Park, Walworth, just after 6:00 p.m. BST.
They said the owner fled the scene with the gray dog before officers arrived.
It comes as demonstrators in London protested against the government’s plan to ban America’s XL bully dogs.
Efforts are being made to trace the owner, a force spokesperson said.
They told the BBC: “There have been no arrests. Investigations are ongoing.”
Lawyer and writer Ness Lyons said the XL Bully “jumped a fence” and attacked the man in his local park.
Posting on X, formerly Twitter, Ms Lyons wrote: “The man was badly bitten in several places, including his abdomen.
“The police and ambulance arrived, but it took an hour. Horrible.
“The owner grabbed his dog and put a paw on it.”
Some residents in Walworth, near Pasley Park, said they were “living in fear” of American XL bully dogs. Others thought the breed should be “muzzled.”
One man, who did not want to give his name, told BBC London: “I tend to walk across the street when I see one and it worries me for the children and other vulnerable people.
But another man in the park said it was a problem with the owners rather than the dogs.
Image source, Getty Images
Owners march through central London to defend tyrannical XL dogs
They held signs with messages such as “Don’t bully our bullies” and chanted “Save our bullies” and “Rishi out.”
Joanne Bridge told BBC London: “Personally, my dog is as silly as anything, he’s with my grandchildren. I have an autistic grandson and he’s really calming to him.”
Mr Sunak has promised to ban America’s XL bully dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act by the end of the year.
American bully XL has been involved in a number of recent attacks in England, including one near Walsall in which a man died.
However, the Dog Control Coalition, a group including the RSPCA, Battersea Dogs Home and the Royal Kennel Club, said banning specific breeds was not the solution – denouncing “irresponsible breeding, breeding and ownership”.
BBC Verify reported that 10 people died from dog bites in England and Wales last year.
Last year there were almost 22,000 cases of uncontrolled dogs causing injuries. In 2018, there were just over 16,000, a BBC investigation revealed.
Rishi Sunak says it’s clear America’s Bully XL dogs pose ‘a danger to communities’.