American bully XL: Owner sought after man attacked in south London park

The London Ambulance Service went to Pasley Park after a man was bitten

A man was rushed to hospital on Friday evening after being attacked by a dog, believed to be an American bully XL, in a south London park.

The Metropolitan Police said the victim, in his 40s, was bitten on the arm in Pasley Park, Walworth, just after 18:00 BST.

They said the owner fled the scene with the grey dog before officers arrived.

It comes as demonstrators in London protested against the government planning to ban American XL bully dogs.

Efforts are being made to track down the owner, a force spokesperson said.

They told the BBC: "There have been no arrests. Inquiries are ongoing."

Lawyer and writer Ness Lyons said the XL Bully "jumped a fence" and attacked the man at her local park.

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, Ms Lyons wrote: "Man was bitten badly in several places including his abdomen.

"Police and ambulance came, but it took an hour. Horrifying.

"The owner grabbed his dog and legged it."

Some residents in Walworth near to Pasley Park said they "lived in fear" of the American XL bully dogs. Others felt the breed should be "muzzled".

One man, who did not want to give his name, told BBC London: "I tend to walk on the other side of the street when I see one and it does worry me for children and other vulnerable people."

But another man in the park said it was an issue with the owners rather than the dogs.

Owners marched in central London in defence of XL bully dogs

On Saturday, bully XL owners walked through central London in opposition to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ordering"urgent work" to define and ban the animals.

They held placards with messages like "don't bully our bullies", and chanted "save our bullies" and "Rishi out".

Joanne Bridge told BBC London: "Personally my dog is as soppy as anything, he's round my grandchildren. I've got an autistic grandson and he's really calming for him."

Mr Sunak has promised to ban American XL bully dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act by the end of the year.

Owners could face a requirement to neuter dogs and muzzle them in public, thegovernment's chief vet has suggested.

The American XL bully has been involved in anumber of recent attacks have England - including one near Walsall in which a man died.

Another dog attack on an 11-year-old girl in Birmingham provoked the debate about banning certain dog breeds.

However, the Dog Control Coalition, a group including RSPCA, Battersea Dogs Home and the Royal Kennel Club, said banning specific breeds was not the solution - pointing to "irresponsible breeding, rearing and ownership".

BBC Verify reported that 10 people died because of dog bite injuries in England and Wales last year.

Last year there were nearly 22,000 cases of out-of-control dogs causing injury. In 2018 there were just over 16,000, a BBC investigation found.

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