https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/25440856.ferryhill-teen-traumatised-puppy-mauled-death-xl-bullies/A County Durham teen has been left 'traumatised' after two XL Bullies ripped her puppy from her arms mauling it to death before turning on her.
Nikita Devon, 18, from Ferryhill, was walking her four-month-old Cocker Spaniel, Maisie, along Grasmere Road yesterday lunchtime when she says the dogs charged at them.
Police were called and said the two dogs escaped from their home and attacked the pair - with a vet later confirming Maisie suffered a broken jaw and horrific puncture wounds to her head, face, neck and body.
Her devastated family say they are 'traumatised' by the ordeal.
Nikita's mum, Mellissa Ann Devon, 49, said: “I had just got back from work when my daughter Nikita took Maisie for a walk at lunchtime like she always does.
“I was in the kitchen when I heard screaming and shouting and so I ran out the house and down the street - they were only five doors away.
“I just saw this big dog running up the street with Maisie in her mouth as if she was a toy.
“We have only had Maisie since June 27, and she made our lives complete. We have been left utterly devastated."
Mellissa continued: “Mentally we are all traumatised especially Nikita, she won’t sleep and because of her wounds is on painkillers and antibiotics- that also it could have been a lot worse.
“She made a big impact in her short time and left a big hole in our lives; we could never go anywhere without her following at our ankles- life will just be so strange.
“Nikita usually takes my two-year-old grandson with her on the walks so again we can only imagine how that would have been.”
Mellissa said she decided to buy Maisie as a companion for 17-year-old Yorkshire Terrier Benji who is unwell.
Now, the family are calling for tighter laws on the breed and believe XL bullies should be kept at properties which are secure at all times.
Shannon Leigh, Maisie's breeder and Mellissa’s daughter-in-law witnessed the attack. She said: “Our car pulled in and we just saw a dog ragging something around in the middle of the road.
“I screamed at the top of my lungs and people came running and I just watched the commotion as someone said, ‘it’s Maisie she’s dead’ and then I couldn’t stop the crying.
“Two work men were in the area and had climbed on top of their van for safety and tried to pull Nikita up but she wouldn’t leave Maisie."
Shannon added: “We need to make sure that these dogs are left in secure homes- there are all these laws around keeping them and walking them with muzzles on and everything but what happens when these dogs break out of an unsecure gate with no muzzle or anything and do this.
“It is out of order and just horrific. If that was a child that child wouldn’t be here today.
“We now just want to raise awareness and make sure that these owners are held accountable and told to keep these dogs secure and safe.
“Maisie was just a defenceless little pup.”
An investigation is underway by Durham police who removed the two XL Bullies from the home.
A spokesperson confirmed a man and woman in their 20s - are assisting officers in their investigation which is ongoing.
The full force statement reads: "We were called to reports of a dog attack in Grasmere Road, Ferryhill, at around 12.30pm yesterday (September 3).
"Officers attended and one of our dog handlers removed two XL Bully dogs that are believed to have escaped from an address and mauled a Cocker Spaniel puppy before biting a woman.
"Sadly, the puppy was deceased at the scene. The woman’s injuries were not believed to be serious and she made her own way to hospital.
"Both dogs had XL Bully certificates.
"The dogs' owners - a man and woman in their 20s - are currently assisting officers in their investigation which is ongoing."
If you have any information that could assist the investigation, email
[email protected]From February 1, 2024, it was made illegal to own an XL bully unless your pet is registered on a list called the Index of Exempted Dogs.
Owners have to comply with strict requirements including:
being muzzled and kept on a lead in public,
microchipped,
neutered
