XL Bully nearly tore off my ARM! Woman suffers life-changing injuries

XL Bully nearly tore off my ARM! Dog-walker suffers life-changing injuries after savage beast sunk its fangs into her flesh and refused to let go

• Laura Walker, 40, was wounded after an XL Bully attacked her in Epping, Essex
• WARNING: Graphic content 

A dog-walker suffered gruesome injuries after an XL Bully attacked her on Valentine’s Day.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, care administrator Laura Walker, 40, from Epping, revealed how the savage beast – soon to be banned under UK law – tore her arm apart in a frenzied attack.

The Essex woman was walking her two-year-old miniature goldendoodle Teddy when the vicious XL Bully raced out of a neighbour’s house and pounced on her dog.

When she bravely tried to rescue Teddy, the crazed XL Bully turned its fangs on Laura, plunging them deep into her left forearm.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has promised to ban the breed by the end of the year in response to a series of attacks, which could see owners having to neuter their dogs and muzzle them in public to prevent further violent attacks.

Laura Walker, 40, was left with three gruesome gashes in her left forearm after she was attacked by an XL Bully

After the attack, officers from Essex Police rushed her to Harlow hospital and that evening she was transferred to Chelmsford for emergency microsurgery to reconstruct her arm

She had to visit hospital once a week for two months and still has a nasty scar where the XL Bully bit her

Laura told MailOnline the pain was ‘excruciating’ and revealed she lost 60 per cent of the muscles in her forearm because of the attack.

She said: ‘Their XL Bully ran out, grabbed hold of our dog and got hold of his tail. 

‘I bent down towards it. I could have lost my arm if I had pushed away from it.

‘I was screaming, “Get off my f***ing dog.”

‘[The pain] was excruciating. I couldn’t feel my hand. I couldn’t feel my lips. 

She said: ‘[The pain] was excruciating. I couldn’t feel my hand. I couldn’t feel my lips.’ Pictured: The dog also bit other parts of her arm

Rishi Sunak has vowed to ban XL Bully dogs after a spate of attacks this year. Pictured: Laura’s arm after the attack 

‘I was walking away and then felt I needed to lie down.

READ MORE: XL bullies WILL be banned as attacks claim yet more victims: Rishi Sunak finally vows to crack down on the ‘mutant’ dogs – as man dies after being set upon by two of the animals, and horrific footage emerges of boy, 10, mauled as he plays outside his house 

‘The police showed up in minutes. I was starting to lose consciousness.’

Officers from Essex Police rushed her to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow and that evening she was transferred to Chelmsford for emergency microsurgery to reconstruct her arm.

Laura lives near the scene of her attack with her partner.

Her ten-year-old stepdaughter often comes to stay and walks Teddy on the street near their home.

Laura said: ‘When she came and saw me in hospital I got really upset because it could have been her.’

After her operation, her wound got infected. 

She said: ‘It was oozing, pouring with blood. I would wake up and the bed was soaking with blood.’

It took her months to recover. She lost 60 per cent of the muscle in her left forearm, which left her unable to grip anything.

She had to visit hospital once a week for two months and still has a nasty scar where the XL Bully bit her.

Laura said: ‘These attacks are becoming more and more common. 

‘I feel so angry – it rises up when I see the frequency of these attacks.

Laura said: ‘People should know what those dogs are capable of. Something needs to be done’

She added: ‘You can’t have a dog like that and leave your door open. If that door was shut it would never have happened’

There were 101 dog attacks in Essex the same month that Laura was bitten, according to a Freedom of Information request

Only five dogs were put down as a result but the XL Bully that bit her was not one of them

‘For three days afterwards I couldn’t feel my arm. 

‘I couldn’t even hold a cup of tea.’

What should you do if an XL Bully bites you?

If a dog bites you and isn’t letting go, move into the dog’s mouth, rather than trying to pull out of it, to stop tearing.

Keep the dog from shaking its head or your body if they do not release.

Wash the wound and seek medical attention as soon as possible. 

Source: Wbur and PDSA

There were 101 dog attacks in Essex the same month that Laura was bitten,  according to a Freedom of Information request.

Only five dogs were put down as a result but the XL Bully that bit her was not one of them.

In fact, the XL Bully may still be returned to its owner.

Laura added: ‘People should know what those dogs are capable of. 

‘I’m not anti-dogs. 

‘The people that own them are irresponsible.

‘Something needs to be done. I know a few people that have got them.

‘You can’t have a dog like that and leave your door open. 

‘If that door was shut it would never have happened.

‘I don’t want people to lose their dogs. It’s entirely down to the owners. I can’t leave my road without passing their house. 

‘It’s given me a phobia. I have got PTSD from it. I’m waiting through the NHS for therapy.’

MailOnline has contacted Essex Police for comment.

The decision to ban the dangerous breed of dog has sparked outrage from some XL Bully owners massed in London last week to protest at Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plans to ban the breed.

The muscular mutts have become public enemy number one in the dog world after a series of attacks by the powerful beasts in recent months.

The breed is set to be banned by the end of the year following a series of attacks, including that of father-of-two Ian Price from Staffordshire, who was killed by two XL Bullies after they jumped out of a neighbour’s window earlier this month.

Owners are in a panic and abandoning their pets, or begging vets to change official records to say ‘Staffies’ because they’re worried their dogs will be put down.

Most say their dogs are completely safe and insist it is the minority of the animals which are actually dangerous.

But while the owners were out in force in London they did not have any of their pets with them.

Before the event, the message went out: ‘Please do not take your dogs to protest. 

People take part in a protest in central London, against the Government’s decision to add XL bully dogs to the list of prohibited breed

One of the placards read ‘Don’t bully our bullies’ while another declared ‘stop bullying our best friends’

An extremely provocative t-shirt featured a photoshopped picture of the Prime Minister

American XL Bully dogs will be banned in the UK by the end of the year

‘The police will antagonise and seize your dog.’ 

They are understood to have taken the decision due to the mix of fears the dogs could be taken and an obvious PR disaster possibility if one became aggressive. 

Many of the protesters held banners aloft as they marched on Parliament to promote their cause.

One of the placards read ‘Don’t bully our bullies’ while another declared ‘stop bullying our best friends’.

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