Armed police officers were forced to respond after a ‘pocket bully’ dog overpowered a pensioner and mauled a smaller pooch to death. South Yorkshire Police were called to the scene in Albany Road, Kilnhurst, Rotherham on Monday shortly after 7am to reports of a shih-tzu being attacked by another dog.
The owner of the shih-tzu was an elderly woman who desperately tried to save her pet, but sadly she was unable to and it died a short while later, reports YorkshireLive. Police said the woman was left in a state of “distress and shock” and issued a warning after receiving a flurry of dog attack reports over the Easter weekend.
Officers located the pocket bully dog in a nearby property and were able to contain and seize the animal. The force said the dog has since been disclaimed to police and remains in kennels while enquiries continue.
Chief Inspector Emma Cheney, who is leading South Yorkshire Police’s work on dangers dogs, said: “This was another case of dogs escaping their home, something that can easily be avoided with responsible measures in place.
“The owner of the shih-tzu, an elderly woman, could have been seriously injured during this ordeal. Thankfully, she was not but is now grieving the loss of her dog and companion.
“Every day, we receive on average five reports of dogs acting dangerously across South Yorkshire, pulling officers, vehicles and money away from other areas of policing.
“We are continuing to see people seriously injured nationally and we are doing all we can to ensure we reduce the risk of that happening in South Yorkshire, but if owners don’t change, the reality is, it’s only a matter of time before we could be facing another fatality caused by a dog and an irresponsible owner.
“This behaviour will not be tolerated, and we will take action. You will be held responsible and you will be put in front of a court for your animal’s behaviour.”
The force added: “Over the Easter weekend, we have continued to see incidents of dangerous dogs pulling resources and officers away from frontline policing. We received 26 reports of dogs causing harm or fear.”
Police forces have recorded a huge spike in the number of dog attacks on people across the UK – and new interactive maps show which areas have seen the most incidents.
Cases of dog attacks have gone up in every part of England and Wales, the worrying figures have shown, with incidents doubling since 2019 in five areas. Overall, there were an average of 87 offences recorded per day of a person being injured in a dog attack during 2024.
The largest increase in the number of dog attacks was recorded by Cleveland Police, where they went up by a massive 163% between 2019 and 2024. Other police force areas where reported offences doubled over the same time period were Lancashire, Warwickshire, Lincolnshire and Devon & Cornwall. Check out our interactive map to see your area.
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