City XL Bully hunt continues after police shooting

Police in Sheffield have been hunting for an XL Bully which went missing after force marksmen opened fire on it last week. BBC News spoke to people in one park as police urged city residents to remain "vigilant".

Weston Park in spring is a riot of colour with flowers blooming and blossom creating a colourful spectacle on trees in the green space.

It feels like a world away from the scenario which saw police shoot at an XL Bully after it became aggressive as they investigated a report of gunshots.

Martin Colclough is walking his dog along the path in park, which is about half a mile from the initial incident.

Rather than his own safety, his primary worry is for the missing canine.

"It's quite concerning that the poor dog is running loose with no-one knowing where it is, wounded," he says.

"I wouldn't expect it to be much danger if it's been shot. It's looking for somewhere to heal now."

Another park user told me that if the dog had been injured, then it would be scared, so more care was needed.

But, she adds: "I'm not necessarily scared of the dog".

South Yorkshire appears to have an issue with problem dogs generally and the XL Bully specifically.

The county's police regularly tell the media about incidents with the breed.

Last week, they issued a note explaining that two dogs, an XL Bully and a mixed breed, were shot dead by police after a horse was reportedly bitten in the North Anston area of Rotherham on 31 March.

On Thursday, the force said the incident was one of 18 dangerous dogs cases reported to it in the space of three days.

There have been many others.

Almost a year ago, a total of 22 animals were also seized from a suspected illegal XL Bully breeding farm.

BBC research discovered that 226 dogs were destroyed by the force between January and August last year.

That was almost double the next highest force, West Yorkshire, with 129.

A police spokesperson said at the time of the incident in which the XL Bully escaped that shooting a dog was "never a decision taken lightly".

"During what was already a challenging incident, and the risk posed, the decision was made to shoot the dog to progress finding a suspect and weapon and protecting our communities," the force added.

Back in the park, Coleen McDonald tells me action needed to be taken if the dog was threatening people and if she saw it on the loose, she would be "really scared".

"If it had been threatening people then they've got to shoot it," she says.

Matthew Barber recognises the issue that many people feel about the XL Bully breed: "They're really powerful these dogs. They could kill a human without any problem."

Since 31 December 2023, it has been against the law to sell, give away, abandon or breed them.

Ownership of American Bully XL dogs is restricted under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

But Ms McDonald and Mr Barber put the nature of the dog down to how it is trained.

"It's how they're brought up sometimes, that's the biggest problem. Some are brought up to be vicious, it's not the dog's fault half of the time," Mr Barber says.

"They've just got to bring laws in and prosecute the owners. They've got to be really tough with them and get it under control."

Ms McDonald adds: "When they're badly treated, they don't know better.

"It's a shame because all animals are really lovely."

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