A spokesperson for the force said: “Officers and a dog warden attended the scene and three dogs were seized.”
A man has said he is experiencing ‘pure devastation’ after his much-loved dog was mauled to death in an attack involving three dogs believed to be XL Bullies.
Blake McElhatton, 31, a teaching assistant in Derby, was at work when he received a distressing call from his friend Otto on Friday, January 23. Otto had been walking Mr McElhatton’s dogs, 15-year-old terrier Spirit and 13-year-old Jack Russell Leo, while he was on shift, reports Derbyshire Live.
Otto, who has walked the dogs since he was a teenager, frequently takes them to Rykneld Park in Derby. During the walk, the dogs were attacked near the Premier on St David’s Close, just off St Albans Road in Littleover, by three dogs suspected to be XL Bullies.
The incident took place just minutes away from a local school.
Mr McElhatton said both Spirit and Leo were bitten and clawed during the incident, leaving them “in shock”. Several members of the public, including a postman, rushed to help Otto and the dogs in an effort to stop the attack.
One bystander managed to lift Leo and place him in the back of their car, while it took five people to eventually restrain the larger dogs that were attacking Spirit. Despite their efforts, Mr McElhatton’s ‘baby’ could not be saved.
Spirit suffered catastrophic injuries, including a ripped neck, punctured lungs and severe damage to his leg.
Speaking about the aftermath, Mr McElhatton, who is originally from Chaddesden, said: “When I arrived at the vets for emergency treatment, they were both next to eachother, side by side. I held them, but there was blood all over my hands.
“I’d had Spirit since I was a child, and poor Leo has grown up with him as well. Spirit was also blind and had dementia, so seeing what those awful dogs had done to him was just terrible.
“I haven’t been able to sleep or stop thinking about it. It’s left me mentally broken, I’m traumatised by what I saw.”
Otto reported to police that he believed the attacking dogs were XL Bullies. The breed is currently illegal to sell, abandon, give away, breed or take into a public place without a lead and muzzle.
Derbyshire Police confirmed they were called to reports of three dogs matching the appearance of XL Bullies in St David’s Close, but said the breed has not yet been officially confirmed.
A spokesperson for the force said: “Officers and a dog warden attended the scene and three dogs were seized.
“A 36-year-old woman from Derby was arrested on suspicion of allowing a fighting dog to be in a public place without a muzzle or lead and has been bailed while enquiries continue.”
Mr McElhatton added: “What upsets me is that this could have happened to anyone.
“There is a school just a few minutes’ walk away, and this incident could have so easily led to something much worse.”
Following the traumatic incident, Mr McElhatton set up a fundraiser to help cover cremation costs and to create a memorial patch for Spirit. Members of the local community have since left flowers and photos on a tree close to where the attack took place.
Leo, who Mr McElhatton continues to bring to see the tributes, has “not been himself” since losing his lifelong companion.
Anyone wishing to donate to help remember Spirit can do so by clicking the link here.