Large Dog Dies After Being Tased by Police for Seriously Injuring a Man in a Backyard
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03/16/2025 01:29 PM
The man attacked "remains in a critical condition in the hospital," police said
British News and Media / Alamy Stock Photo
Police respond to dog attack on March 15, 2025A large dog has been killed after it left a man with serious injuries.
On Friday, March 14, a man in his 20s was attacked by the animal in West Bromwich, England, at around 4:40 p.m. local time, according to a press release from West Midlands Police shared with PEOPLE.
Authorities said the victim, whose identity has not yet been shared, "was found with serious injuries and remains in a critical condition in the hospital."
The dog died at the scene after being tasered by officers, police said. They added that they believe the canine was "an XL Bully."
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British News and Media / Alamy Stock Photo
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The police department said they will continue to have a presence in the area where the attack, which is still under investigation, took place as they "seek to establish exactly what happened."
Birmingham Live reported that the victim was treated by paramedics at the scene before being transported to the hospital. The incident reportedly occurred in a back garden, per the outlet.
A police spokesperson told Birmingham Live, "Our colleagues from the ambulance service gave him treatment at the scene before he was transported to the hospital."
Jacob King/PA Images via Getty
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An XL Bully is the largest kind of Bully dog, according to the BBC. The animals are described as being large "with a muscular body and blocky head, suggesting great strength and power for [their] size," per a document from the UK government.
The government added that the dogs are determined to be XL if they meet the minimum size requirement and other physical characteristics.
Richard Baker, a National Health Service (NHS) consultant, told the BBC that the dogs' jaws can cause more damage than other breeds. "It's a crushing or a tearing injury," he said. "Once they grip, they don't let go."
The U.K. government website states that it is "a criminal offense to own or possess an XL Bully dog in England and Wales unless you have a valid Certificate of Exemption."
It is also an offense to sell, abandon, give away or breed an XL Bully Dog, and it is illegal to have an XL Bully dog in public without a lead and muzzle, they added.
