Shocking video shows American XL Bully dog attacking police officers

A shocking video shows the moment an American XL Bully is unleashed at police officers.

The dog is seen trying to bite one of the officers after being let out of a house by a suspect in South Yorkshire.

The animal eventually runs back into the property after its shirtless owner steps out before he’s apprehended.

It comes as South Yorkshire Police issued a warning over the American XL Bully breed, which is not banned in the UK.

The force said the amount of dog attacks in the area has more than doubled in the last five years.

The breed accounts for 25% of all dogs seized in the region since last January, it added.

Assistant Chief Constable Dan Thorpe, of South Yorkshire Police, said: “We can’t ignore the fact that the XL bully breed is disproportionately represented in the number of dog attacks we attend.

"Eight of the dogs seized since January 2022, by South Yorkshire Police are XL bullies.

"Last year, 89 dogs had to be destroyed by police in the immediacy of the incident in order to protect public safety.”

Data revealed the breed has been involved in the majority of fatal dog attacks in the UK since 2021.

In total, six of the ten dog-related deaths in the UK last year were caused by Bully or Bully crosses, sparking calls from campaigners for the breed to be banned.

In March last year, 17-month-old Bella-Rae Birch was killed in her family's home in St Helens, Merseyside, just a week after they bought the dog.

Schoolboy Jack Lis, 10, was killed in an attack by an XL Bully in 2021 while playing at a friend's house in Caerphilly, South Wales.

ACC Thorpe added: “XL Bully dogs seem to have a high propensity for aggression.

"And once they turn, even the most experienced owners have limited ability to do anything about it due to the power and strength of the breed."