Three people were taken to hospital after the dog attack on Saturday
By Vanessa Pearce
BBC News, West Midlands
The mother of an 11-year-old girl, attacked by a dog in Birmingham on Saturday, said she had been released from hospital.
The girl and two men who intervened were treated after being bitten during the attack in Bordesley Green.
“I’m thanking to god she is alive and [you] just keep going,” the mum said adding her daughter was feeling fine.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said the attack was shocking and the government was taking it extremely seriously.
The girl was visiting shops with her sister when the dog attacked, her mum said.
Image source, Luqman Khan
The 11-year-old suffered bite injuries but is now home from hospital
The injured girl spent a night in hospital and returned home on Sunday evening.
“Everything is okay,” her mum said. “[You] just keep going and look after my daughter.”
On Sunday, West Midlands Police said the child was bitten as she ran past the animal while it was being walked by its owner.
Footage was posted online of the incident.
Yousf Khan was injured after intervening in the attack
Car wash worker Yousf Khan was also injured by the dog as he tried to intervene during the attack.
“The dog was out of control, it went crazy,” he said.
He spoke in Pashto to the BBC as his friend translated, near to the scene of the incident.
He had been prompted to act after hearing the girl’s screams, he explained.
“I feel bad for the girl, I was so scared for her,” he said.
The dog’s owner has been spoken to by the police while the dog was taken to a vet.
Suella Braverman said the attack was “appalling” and the American bully XL breed was a particular danger to children.
West Midlands Police statistics show that suspected Bully XLs have been making up a greater proportion of dogs seized by officers in recent years.
In 2018, suspected Bully XLs made up 3% of the 361 dogs seized. By the end of May this year, of the 407 dogs seized, 96 were believed to be Bully XLs (23.5%), far outstripping the number of banned breeds seized (11).
It was a similar picture last year, according to Freedom of Information figures, with suspected Bully XLs making up 137 of the 1,033 dogs seized (13%).
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