Owner banned after bully XL dog kills Yorkshire terrier
- Published
Milly died of her injuries after the attack
A man whose bully XL dog mauled a pet to death has been disqualified from owning dogs for 10 years.
Gary Mulligan's pet Zuko attacked Agnes Donaldson and killed her Yorkshire terrier, Milly, in Glasgow's Castlemilk on 1 May.
Zuko knocked over Ms Donaldson before grabbing and shaking Milly violently. The Yorkshire terrier suffered puncture wounds to the kidney and died.
Mulligan admitted owning a dog that was dangerously out of control.
Ms Donaldson's wrist was broken in two places when she fell in the attack.
A metal plate had to be inserted in her wrist and she needed to wear a medical brace.
The bully XL breed is said to have originated in the US in the late 1980s, when American pit bull terriers and American Staffordshire terriers were crossed.
They have been crossed with other breeds since then to create an even more muscular dog.
An incident in Birmingham at the weekend is the latest in a series of recent attacks, which have led to Home Secretary Suella Braverman investigating whether the breed should be banned.
Sheriff John McCormick ordered Mulligan, 28, to do 300 hours of unpaid work as well as imposing the dog ban.
He said: "Those who choose to have such animals as pets must accept responsibilities and consequences that flow from that."
The court heard Ms Donaldson was walking in the area with her two-year-old great niece and her four-year-old dog.
There are calls for a ban on the American bully XL breed in the UK
Zuko - described as large with a heavy muscular build - was spotted unsupervised in the distance. Ms Donaldson felt intimidated and walked away.
Prosecutor Katie Bell said: "The large dog started running towards the witness Donaldson's dog.
"Agnes attempted to pick her dog up to protect it but the large dog jumped up her causing her to fall and she landed on her wrist.
"When she fell, Donaldson dropped her dog and the large dog was able to get to it and immediately started biting at it, grasping it in its jaw and shaking it violently."
The court heard the attack only stopped after Zuko spotted another smaller dog and went after it.
Milly was taken to a vet but Ms Donaldson was later told the dog had died. Zuko was later put down on medical grounds, as it was suffering from breathing difficulties.
Marisa Borland, defending, told the court that her client accepted he had not put proper measures in place.
She said: "He accepts full responsibility for the dog being out with his control and has appropriate contrition and empathy about what took place and that it took place in front of a small child.
"He accepts that it is a serious offence."
Sheriff McCormick said: "The public are very alive to people who choose to have a pet of this nature and those who do must accept the consequences of falling to look after them properly."