The mum of a 10-year-old boy who died after being mauled by a dog has said ‘enough is enough’ as she calls for the law on dangerous dogs to be changed.
Jack Lis died in November 2021 in Pentwyn, Penyrheol, near Caerphilly, South Wales, after the attack by an XL Bully.
A further 15 people have died following dog attacks since Jack’s death, and there were nearly 22,000 cases of injuries from out of control dogs last year.
Now Jack’s mum, Emma Whitfield, is campaigning for a change in the law named after her son.
Emma, 32, said: ‘I still have terrible flashbacks. I still see the animal and its teeth. I hear the barking.
‘You relive it multiple times a day – it’s torture.
‘I still find it unbelievable. Sat on the sofa or on the way home, it hits you all over again.’
The dog which attacked Jack, called Beast, was an XL Bully – a breed developed from the American pit bull terrier, but not recognised by the UK Kennel Club.
Beast’s owner Brandon Hayden, then 19, was sentenced last June to just over four years at a young offenders’ institution, and Amy Salter, then 29, was jailed for three years, after they pleaded guilty to being in charge of an out of control dog.
Emma said: ‘Enough is enough. This has to stop.
‘It’s mind-blowing how it keeps happening. It should never have happened to Jack but why has nobody learned from this?
‘Innocent people are dying. The Government needs to act now.
‘It’s out of control and there are people losing their kids because of this. I want to stop this happening.’
The campaign for the Jack Lis Law is backed by the Mirror, the Dog Control Coalition which includes the RSPCA, Dogs Trust and Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, and Caerphilly’s MP Wayne David.
They’re calling for a different approach to dog legislation, which includes all dogs and instead focuses on breeding, training and the sale of dogs.
Emma says not all breeders or owners would need policing under new legislation, adding: ‘My problem is with backyard breeders who don’t care where the dogs go.
‘There is no reason why a dog needs to sell for £10,000 to go into a family home.
‘Certain type of dogs have become status symbols. To me it is not different than having a lethal weapon.’
Mr David, who has previously called for the reintroduction of dog licences, said: ‘We have to ask who is next?
‘There can be no doubt that radical reform is needed to dog law. This will only happen when everyone who is concerned pulls together.
‘I’m quoting the police when I say there is more money in selling dogs for some criminals than selling drugs.
‘I’m determined to see this issue addressed by the government as soon as humanly possible.’
RSPCA head of companion animals Dr Samantha Gaines said: ‘The Dangerous Dogs Act has failed to protect the public from the risk of bites, we want a new approach.
‘It is also essential measures are available to deter and punish owners of dogs whose behaviour is dangerous.’
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