Stratford dog owner recalls horror attack by American Bully XL which killed her pet cocker spaniel

He was given a five-year dog disqualification order and ordered to pay £1,000 compensation, which will be stopped from his Universal Credit benefits.

The outcome of the court case has left Ellie disappointed after her ordeal.

“I feel he’s not having to pay for what he’s done,” she said. “I think he should have got a community order so he would have to give something back.”

Since the attack the nightmare of what should have been a summer evening’s stroll continues to haunt Ellie-Mae, who works for Warwickshire Police.

She can clearly recall how the bully flew out of nowhere to launch the attack, going for Loki’s jugular.

Ellie-Mae believes Loki tried to save her from the ferocity of the onslaught and she could have been seriously injured if her dog hadn’t put himself between her and the rampaging bully.

“I was walking with Loki on my own in the field off our estate near Loxley Road and Banbury Road,” she said. “As I was on my way back we approached a 90-degree corner where there is a metal builder’s fence. It was then this dog appeared and grabbed Loki by the throat. He briefly let out some yelps and I began trying to fight this dog off… his owner was running up behind us.

“I threw myself in and I kept fighting with this dog but before I knew it the owner had gone, and I was on my own with witnesses watching from behind the fencing, in fear of the attacking bully.

“I was alone fighting with a dog heavier than myself – I am approximately 60kg or just over nine stone, but I just had to get it off my small 10kg cocker spaniel.

“My partner, Ethan, appeared running up the path due to hearing me scream from across the estate. He took over trying to get the attacking dog to release Loki when a witness passed him a hammer and he began to beat the dog while I was holding Loki’s waist to pull him free when the XL Bully released him. Eventually it did, after several impacts of the hammer to its head.

“I grabbed Loki and ran. A kind passerby took the attacking dog from my partner and held it so we could get Loki to the vets.”

But it was too late. The couple’s pet was killed at the scene, probably within a minute of the attack, the vet said.

It was so vicious people thought Ellie had also been hurt as she was covered in so much blood.

Ellie said: “Since the attack I’ve had post-traumatic stress disorder and received counselling through work. It’s still really hard because we’re living on an estate where the guy who owned the American bully lives. Although I don’t see him, I would recognise him if I saw him again.

“We’ve got a new little puppy called Bear to help with the healing and last Friday he went out for his first walk with three other dogs who are all part of our family.”

Understandably, Ellie-Mae remains cautious about going out for a walk with Bear on her own, so was accompanied by her mother and step-dad plus all of the four dogs that belong to the family.

Ellie-Mae and Ethan have chosen to keep Loki’s memory alive – Ethan and a friend climbed Mount Kilimanjaro at the end of September to raise money for the Thin Blue Paw Foundation, a charity which supports serving and retired police dogs.

The target was £1,000 but thanks to support from friends and public donations, they raised £1,840.

From February 2024 it will be illegal to own an American bully XL as the dogs have been added to the list of banned dogs in England and Wales following a number of attacks on humans and other dogs.

It’s a move Ellie-Mae welcomes.

“It’s a dangerous breed and I think it’s really good it’s on the dangerous list and there’s a deadline in place. Controlling a dog is down to the owner, but sometimes you can’t even control the owner,” she said.