A suspected XL Bully dog attack has claimed the life of a 68-year-old woman in Essex, U.K. Police pronounced Esther Martin dead at the scene, alleging that two dogs — possibly XL Bullies — mauled her.
Essex woman killed in dog attack
Responding to a call, police arrived at the residence shortly after 4 p.m. on Saturday, where they found Esther Martin critically injured after being attacked by two dogs. Despite their efforts, they pronounced the grandmother and retired Tesco worker dead on the scene.
Following the incident, they put down two dogs in the home. Authorities have arrested a 39-year-old local man under suspicion of dangerous dogs offenses.
Martin’s daughter, Kelly Fretwell, revealed that her mother was visiting her 11-year-old grandson in a home housing eight XL Bully dogs at the time of the attack. The grieving family is reeling from the sudden and shocking loss.
Were the dogs XL Bullies?
It’s currently unconfirmed whether the large dogs were XL Bullies.
While experts are still confirming the exact breed of the dogs, Chief Superintendent Glen Pavelin reassured the community of their safety and expressed gratitude to locals who had tried to help Martin. “I want to express my condolences to her family and friends, and we’ve got specially trained officers supporting them,” he said. (via The Guardian)
The superintendent also revealed a “familial relationship” between the victim and the suspect but did not delve into further details.
In response to a growing number of attacks by XL Bullies, the government added the breed to the Dangerous Dogs Act. Since Thursday, owning this breed without registering for an exemption is illegal, as announced by Rishi Sunak in September. However, the Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs estimated that thousands of these dogs might still remain unregistered across the U.K.
