Police confirm the breed of dog that killed boy
GWENT Police has revealed further information about the breed of a dog that killed a 10-year-old boy in Caerphilly borough.
Jack Lis died after being attacked by a dog at a friend’s house in Pentwyn, Penyrheol, at around 4pm on November 8. An inquest opening heard Jack had suffered “severe injuries to his head and neck” before the dog was shot dead by police.
Earlier this week, police said the 8st dog, known as “Beast”, was an American bulldog. They have since changed that statement, confirming the dog was actually an American bully or XL bully. Neither breed is on the banned list of dogs in the UK.
Chief Superintendent Mark Hobrough said on Thursday evening: “The work to identify the breed of dog involved in this attack has concluded.
“In the view of the dog legislation officer’s report, the breed of dog has been classified as an American or XL bully.
“Neither of these breeds feature on the list of banned dogs and is therefore not illegal to own in this country.”
A 28-year-old woman from the Caerphilly area was arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death. She was later released on conditional bail.
Two men – a 34-year-old from the
Mountain Ash area and a 19-yearold from the Caerphilly area – attended voluntarily in relation to an offence of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death. Both were later released.
An American or XL bully is a relatively new breed of dog in the UK, first recognised in America in 2013 by the United Kennel Club.
It is thought that the breeds involved in the creation of the American bully are the American
Staffordshire terrier, American pitbull terrier, American bulldog, English bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge, Staffordshire bull terrier and French bulldog.
The breed was created in Virginia in a breeding project later renamed the American Bully Kennel Club. According to the club, the breed is “an excellent family companion”.
“Despite the American bully’s fierce and powerful appearance, their demeanour is gentle.
“They are great with kids and extremely friendly with strangers, other dogs and other animals. Human or dog aggression, extreme shyness, or viciousness is very uncharacteristic of the American bully and is highly undesirable.”
There are four variations of the breed – classic, standard, pocket and XL.
The classic looks like a pitbull terrier or Staffordshire terrier, while the XL bullies tend to be a mix of colours and look more stocky and muscled.
Martin Winfield, owner of Rockwood Animals which specialises in the training of difficult dogs, says there has been an increase in the number of XL bullies or variations of the bull breed in recent years.
Martin, who has been in the industry for 35 years, deals with up to 200 dogs a week and says a lot of the dogs are bull breeds.
He said the breed has become popular for being a protective or security dog.