Sheffield XL Bully: Witnesses describe moment two dogs were shot - and say police were 'totally in the wrong'
Witnesses have described the moments two dogs were shot by police in North Anston - and say they feel it was “totally in the wrong.”
South Yorkshire Police shot dead two dogs - an XL bully named Mila and a large breed named Benji - in an incident off Cramfit Road on March 31.
A formal statement said the two dogs were running loose and officers were called after reports they had chased and bitten a horse, and “due to the ongoing risk posed by the dogs to the public, other animals, and our officers, it was necessary to shoot the dogs.”
Now, two witnesses to the shootings - who both said they felt SYP was “in the wrong” about the incident - have told The Star what they saw.
Shooting on horse paddock off Cramfit Road
The two dogs are believed to have escaped their owners’ garden on Edinburgh Drive in North Anston shortly before 1.30pm, and police were called at 1.35pm.
The first witness is a mother of four from North Anston, who asked not to be named, who saw the moment officers first arrived.
The shooting took place on an approximately 10 acre paddock close to a set of terraced houses on Cramfit Road, where the horse in the police statement was reportedly kept.
The mother said the horses were led off the paddock before police were called. SYP was unable to confirm or deny this.
SYP’s account is that “officers arrived on scene at 1.46pm [and] the first dog was shot at 1.53pm.
“Other options were considered; a dog handler with a pole was present alongside armed officers. A dart gun could not be used as the dogs were not contained within an area.”
However, when asked, the witness said they saw no one with a dog pole.
The mother said: “I saw three cop cars with eight officers arrive.
“I don’t think it took even two minutes and I don’t think they took time to make a decision. They arrived, opened the boot and got out these black boxes.
“They then went straight to the top of the field.
“One of the dogs [believed to be Benji, the large breed] ran towards them. It was friendly, and they shot it straight away.
“The second one got scared and ran off.
“They were absolutely in the wrong if you ask me. They could have shut the gate and kept them there until the owner was found.”
The second dog, believed to be Mila the XL Bully, was able to escape the paddock.
SYP said in a statement the horse’s owner was unable to find any visible injuries.
Shooting on path to Bluebell Children’s Hospice
The second shooting took place at 2:04pm and approximately 500m away as-the-crow-flies on a trail leading to nearby Bluebell Woods Children’s Hospice.
The second witness, Brett Driver, said he was on the trail when he saw a golden-tan coloured ‘Staffy type’ dog.
Brett told The Star: ”It was collarless. I’m a dog owner and I know how to handle them, and I happened to have a spare lead on me.
“I called it over and it was coming up to towards me, very slowly, and it wasn’t aggressive.
“It was about two feet away from me and I was getting ready to put it on a lead when the ‘boys in blue’ came around the corner and the dog shot off.
“The copper said ‘can I borrow that lead,’ and said ‘that dog is dangerous.’ It wasn’t dangerous.
“Two minutes later, two officers turned up with guns.
“I didn’t see what happened. I was shuffled off out of the way by the officers. Last I saw, the dog was sat still on the trail and staring.
“As I was led away, only a few seconds later, all of a sudden I heard a bang, then a second bang.
“I could tell it was scared.
“If you ask me, it all could have been avoided with a few moments of consideration.”
Benji and Mila’s owners, Callum Differ and Laura Griffiths, have staunchly defended their dogs as friendly animals and have criticized SYP in the strongest terms.
“The only way they could have hurt you is from licking your skin off,” said Callum.
“They were special dogs. I could leave them in the garden to play with my god son. They were boisterous and they could headbutt you but they were harmless.
“I’ve always disagreed with the laws around XL Bullies but I understand it - they are not nasty dogs but they can have bad owners.
“To me, if you’ve got a dog, it’s the same as if you had a shotgun - you need to be able to control it under any circumstances.
“In the wrong hands, they are capable of doing real damage. They shouldn’t be in the hands of owners who can’t train them or get pulled along by them in the street.
“But in the right hands, they are the most loving dogs, and now they are all tarred with the same brush.
“To me, the legislation they have put in place is not working. And they can’t just keep arriving to seize two friendly dogs like it’s James Bond and not even try to catch them.
“I want SYP to own up to it and say they got it wrong.”
Statement from Chief Inspector Emma Cheney
Leading the work on dangerous dogs in South Yorkshire, Chief Inspector Emma Cheney explains more, she said: “We understand this is an extremely distressing incident for the dogs’ owners. Shooting a dog is never a decision taken lightly by our armed officers, many of whom are dog owners themselves, but the safety of our communities and officers will always be paramount.
“In this case, armed officers and a dog handler were deployed to the North Anston area of Rotherham on 31 March following reports of two loose dogs acting dangerously out of control.
“It is reported the dogs were chasing horses and had bitten one.
“Upon officers’ arrival, the dogs were still loose and were unable to be contained. Due to the ongoing risk posed by the dogs to the public, including dog walkers nearby with children, other animals, and our officers, it was deemed necessary to shoot the dogs.
“We are continuing to see unprecedented demand on our force from dangerous dogs, with on average four people reporting being injured or in fear of injury from a dog every day.
“We continue to urge owners to take action, help keep you, your family, and communities safe.”