Southampton man feared dog was dead after XL Bully attack

Leo Wolf, 54, was walking his Cocker Spaniel-Dachshund cross Tia along Eling Lane as they made their way towards The Anchor Inn pub for a Sunday treat.

However, the pair could not have prepared for what happened next as an XL Bully charged at them from behind – biting Mr Wolf’s fingers and latching onto Tia’s neck with its teeth – refusing to let go.

Mr Wolf told the Echo: “It just came up behind us through the cars.

“You always try and second guess yourself afterwards and you question if you could have done something, but the honest truth of it is that you don’t expect something like that to happen. It’s been traumatic.

“This XL Bully was unattended and just grabbed Tia by the throat; I was trying to wrestle my dog out of its mouth.

“It was horrific, I didn’t want to pull on my dog too hard as I didn’t want to snap her neck.”

Mr Wolf proceeded to kick the XL Bully twice in the rib area – but said it “didn’t flinch".

Mr Wolf feared his dog was dead, screaming out for help before the XL Bully was dragged away by its owners.

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He said: “Tia was lifeless on the ground, and she was my main concern. She’s never been in a fight or attacked another dog in her life.

“Then all of a sudden, she got up and darted into the pub – we’ve been there before, and she must have known it was a safe place.

“There was blood everywhere, I was in so much shock as so much had happened in about a minute or so.”

Upon entering The Anchor Inn, a customer called Vicky, who Mr Wolf had never met before, offered to drive Tia, aged six, to Millbrook Vets.

She received stitches to her neck and temporarily had a pipe inserted to help her breathe – costing more than £1,000 in vets bills.

Mr Wolf said: “I just want to raise awareness of what happened.

“This happened in a public place where there were children around. It could have been so much worse.”

Mr Wolf is speaking out now about the September 3 incident following the Home Secretary's recent announcement that she will be looking to ban XL Bullys after a girl was injured in Birmingham on Saturday.

He agreed the breed should be banned, adding: "Something has to be done, it's dangerous.

"It's a threat to other dogs and dog owners."

Mr Wolf also reported the incident to the police.

A force spokesperson told the Echo: “We were called at 12.39pm on Sunday, September 3, to a report that a dog, described as an XL Bulldog, had injured another dog on Eling Lane in Totton.

“A Cocker Spaniel cross sustained injuries and was taken to a vet for treatment.  

“A man in his 50s sustained minor injuries to his hand during the incident.

“An investigation into this incident is underway and we are currently conducting enquiries. The dog warden has also been made aware.”