Woman 'ragged around' by XL bully 'thought she was going to die'

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES - Gilana Milner, 19, was dragged to the ground and left with deep wounds

A teenager says she is "lucky to be alive" after being attacked by a 50kg rescue XL bully at an animal shelter.

Gilana Milner, 19, was attacked by Hugo, the XL bully, while she was on duty changing his water bowl at the rescue centre. The XL bully knocked her down and ferociously bit into her chest and leg, with colleagues having to intervene as the dog wouldn't release his grip.

Despite enduring a five-minute ordeal and requiring urgent surgery for her injuries, Gilana harbours no ill feelings towards Hugo. Continuing her passion for animal care, she remains determined to fulfil her ambition of working for the RSPCA.

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Gilana, who hails from Wakefield, Yorkshire, insists that the government's ban on XL bullies is unjust, arguing that aggression in dogs stems from their treatment by humans rather than their breed.

The 19-year-old said: "I'm lucky to be alive. He was just ragging me around and there was nothing I could do - I was just screaming and screaming."

"[But] I don't agree with banning them - if dogs have problems it's because of past trauma or the way they've been treated by humans."

Reflecting on the attack, Gilana added: "I kept trying to get to the door. They go for the big arteries in your legs. When they've got you down they go for your neck.

"I just kept thinking about my mum. I knew I was going to die and I didn't want to. I kept looking at the dog and thinking it couldn't be real - it was like a nightmare.

"If nobody had been in the yard to hear me screaming, the dog would definitely have killed me. I love my job, but I guess the one downside is that you never know if the kennel you're about to walk into will be your last.

"I wasn't scared of that dog, but he used to stand and stare at me while I cleaned. I know now that they do that while they stalk you before they attack."

The dog had been living on the streets prior to being taken in by Flushdyke Dog Boarding & Rehoming, where Gilana had been employed for over two years. She was alone cleaning kennels because a colleague went on her break, during the May 2023 attack.

Gilana then entered Hugo's kennel and was exiting with his water bowl to refill it when he jumped up and bit her chest. The dog was sprayed with a substance similar to pepper spray but wouldn't let go of Gilana and staff had to fend him off and pull her out of the kennel.

She received treatment on site in an ambulance for ninety minutes before being transported to Pinderfields Hospital for two hours of surgery on her legs and chest, following which she developed an infection.

She now experiences hypersensitivity in parts of her legs causing pain upon touch, and numbness in other areas. She's now embarking on a new role as a patient care assistant with a vet and is awaiting specialist counselling.

However, she returned to work a month after the attack, despite having difficulty walking. She said: "I really wanted to be back at work. I've wanted to help dogs since I was five and I still want to be an RSPCA officer.

"I'm getting used to the pain, and the scarring, but I don't think I'll recover fully. I still get dreams where the attack is happening a couple of nights a week. It's horrible - I wake up hyperventilating.

"I was in agony. I had to have so much morphine. I could have lost my legs because of the infection."

"I'm pretty strong but I honestly don't know how I got up during the attack. XL bullies are really really strong."

Despite her ordeal Gilana said she is against the ban on XL bullies. Since December 31, 2023, it has been against the law to sell, give away, abandon or breed from an XL bully.

And since February 1, 2024, it has been a criminal offence to own an XL bully without an exemption certificate. Gilana said: "They don't attack more than other dogs, but their attacks are life threatening."

"I think it's enough if they are muzzled and on a lead. I agree you should have to have a licence to have an XL bully."

"But the problem with the ban is that they are all getting dumped and we're rescuing them - it's creating a lot more work for us. Since the ban they started coming in every day, sometimes three a day."

A spokesperson from Flushdike dog boarding and rehoming said: "We were all very shaken up by this - all the staff involved were in tears. I can't imagine the impact it has had on Gilana and we have spent a lot of time trying to help her."

"Even when we have a sufficient number of dogs to require more than one person on shift, all staff work independently, so it is normal for one member of staff to be cleaning a kennel on their own. If a dog showed signs of aggression we would have more than one member of staff working with them at any time, but this dog had been with us for over.

"Three weeks and showed no signs of aggression: everybody was very fond of him. Anyone on the yard would hear if someone started screaming, and our staff did all they could to get the dog off Gilana."

"All staff carry walkie talkies but Gilana was unable to reach hers because of where the dog was biting her. Since this incident, and after consulting with Gilana, all staff carry their walkie talkie, and a can of bite-back spray, in a chest harness.

"We've been investigated by environmental health, RIDDOR, and our insurance company following this incident and they found that we did everything we were supposed to."

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