A woman in her 50s has died following an attack by her two registered XL bully dogs at a house in Cornwall Close, Hornchurch, east London. The tragic incident occurred on Monday afternoon.
Despite the efforts of paramedics who treated the woman at the scene, she was pronounced dead. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that armed officers seized the two dogs after containing them in a room within the house.
This incident is believed to be the first fatal attack by XL bully dogs known to have been registered under new laws in England and Wales, which require owners to obtain an exemption certificate to keep such dogs.
A blue forensic tent was set up outside the woman’s home in the residential street, and officers, along with forensic teams, were seen removing items from the property. The family of the deceased woman, who was the owner of the dogs, is being supported by officers.
Neighbors recounted seeing paramedics administering CPR to the victim in her front garden. One neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous, said, “I came out of the house and looked to see what had happened. We hadn’t heard anything but saw a helicopter overhead and loads of police. I stood by the road and saw a paramedic administering CPR. That poor woman. It’s shocking.”
Another resident, who also did not want to be named, mentioned she heard barking during the incident and had previously warned her child about the dogs. “I said ‘don’t ever touch those dogs. They’re dangerous’. I didn’t see anything but I heard a lot of barking and saw a lot of people outside,” she said.
One neighbor described the heavy police and emergency presence at the scene, stating, “I looked out and saw two or three ambulances and eight or nine police cars. We asked police what had happened, they said there’d been ‘an unfortunate incident’. At around 4.15pm we were told to evacuate. We were out for around half an hour while police blocked off the road.”
Neighbor Sejal Solanki expressed her distress over the incident, noting, “The fact that that’s happened with her own dogs is scary. We have children and they’re playing in the field there, near her house, and it could happen to anybody really.”
Local MP Julia Lopez shared the community’s shock and sadness, saying, “To find out it was as a result of her two dogs was deeply distressing and I obviously think of her family and her neighbours who will have been deeply affected by this.”
Michaela Scott, a local dog trainer who specializes in working with XL bully dogs, remarked on the prevalence of the breed in the area and the impact of such attacks. “It’s really sad for the person, the neighbours, for the local community,” she said. Scott also noted an increase in demand for her training programs as owners seek to comply with the new regulations and ensure safety.
From February 1, it became an offence in England and Wales to own an XL bully without an exemption certificate, which mandates that the dogs be neutered, microchipped, muzzled, and kept on a lead in public, among other restrictions.
Lopez added that while incidents like this might provoke renewed debate over XL bully ownership rules, it was understood that the deceased woman had complied with the new regulations.
