Southsea pensioner whose dog was lunged at in Palmerston Road by "very large" XL Bully says "warnings were there" before person attacked

As reported, police reported a person was bit by the XL Bully in Palmerston Road on November 7 before it was seized and taken into kennels. The force described it as a “non-injury dog bite incident” with the owner not adhering to a dog behaviour contract due to the “animal’s aggressive behaviour”. Portsmouth Police had also reported on Facebook concerns over an aggressive canine on several occasions.

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The disturbing incident followed an article by The News in September highlighting how “wary” residents were alarmed at seeing the XL Bully strutting around Palmerston Road with a homeless man. Police said they had not received any reports of incidents involving the dog at that time.

Now a female pensioner, who lives nearby, has revealed there were “worrying” red flags before the biting incident involving the “very big” XL Bully. She said: “It lunged at my Boxer dog as I was walking through Palmerston Road...but luckily the homeless man grabbed it. The dog was on a lead but was not tied to anything. The dog shouldn’t have been in a busy shopping street, it’s an unnatural place for it to be. There’s masses of people and children running around shrieking. You don’t know how it could react. It was intimidating to see.”

Speaking of the Bully’s subsequent attack on a person, the resident said: “The warnings had been there. Action probably should have been taken but it was probably going through the warnings to the owner at the time. We should not have to tolerate large aggressive dogs being in a shopping street. When those dogs bite they don’t let go…getting their mouths to open is a real challenge.

“(The homeless) use the dogs as encouragement for people to respond with money or dog food for them. I bought some dog food cans for them before I realised and stopped. Sitting in a shop doorway is not the right place for dogs to be.” She added: “The homeless people could be put up in shelters but they would have to stop smoking and drinking to do that. It’s a sad situation.” The woman said the Palmerston Road scene is now “much better” without the Bully and its owner. Another aggressive dog - thought to be a “big” labrador - has also now moved on from the street with its owner, the local added.

A police spokesman previously said of the attack incident: “The XL Bully was seized in the Palmerston Road area of Southsea on November 20 after a non-injury dog bite incident on November 7 and the owner not adhering to a dog behaviour contract due to the animal’s aggressive behaviour. There is some concern that the dog may be stolen and it remains in kennels at this time while relevant enquiries are conducted.” Police have confirmed the dog remains in kennels.

American XL bullies were officially added to the list of banned dogs in England and Wales by the government in October. From February 1, 2024, owning one of them will constitute a criminal offence, unless its owner has successfully applied for an exemption. A popular Fareham dog walker and trainer Ian "Wiggy” Symes, 34, was killed in August 2022 after being mauled by an XL American Bully, an inquest in April 2023 heard.