Crazed XL Bully savaged horse in horror attack as young rider, 12, rushed to hospital | 8PTO49S | 2024-05-11 06:08:01
A CRAZED XL bully savaged a horse in a horror attack that left the schoolgirl rider seriously hurt and traumatised.
Aaron Eggie's dog Blue escaped and charged towards a group of three child riders.
It mauled one of the horses and the 12-year-old on its back screamed in terror.
She was hurled onto the road and rushed to hospital with a broken tailbone.
Her mum revealed she's still suffering as a result of the incident in Kirriemuir, Angus, and will need ongoing treatment.
Eggie, 30, had been given strict orders to keep his pets under control after another two of his dogs attacked a labrador just four months before.
He's posted several rants online claiming there are no bad XL Bullies and the owners are always to blame.
But he now faces a ban on keeping animals, which would destroy his canine transportation and breeding business.
Sheriff Derek Reekie said: "It happened before. How many times does it need to happen?
"We now have two serious offences of dogs being out of control.
"Do we wait until somebody is even more seriously injured? It is the height of carelessness. It's reckless."
The Courier told how Eggie was putting his bins out when the mutt made a dash for freedom.
It spotted volunteers from Kirriemuir's Pathhead Equestrian Centre who were out with young riders.
Forfar Sheriff Court heard they had done this countless times before with zero problems.
But on April 15 they were on Elm Street in Kirriemuir when the mutt suddenly appeared from a residential area and raced towards them.
Prosecutor Elizabeth Hodgson said: "The witnesses were walking alongside horses with three young female riders on their usual route and had not had any issues.
"A witness observed a dog running out of Tillyloss towards the riding group. Witnesses heard a loud commotion, whereby one of the girls was screaming.
"The accused was seen running after the offending dog. The dog was seen attacking the pony being ridden by the child.
"The pony spun and reared, which caused the child to fall off onto the road."
The fiscal depute revealed the out-of-control XL Bully continued to chase the horse after it chucked the girl off.
Someone alerted the emergency services and Eggie managed to catch up with his dog.
He had it destroyed soon afterwards.
Miss Hodgson added: "The offending dog was not wearing a muzzle and not on a lead.
"The police attended the accused's home and spoke to him from the living room window.
"He elected to take the offending dog to a local vet to be put down."
The court was told the injured girl was rushed to Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, and is physically and mentally scarred by the attack.
Miss Hodgson said: "The mother has advised that the child has sustained a substantial mental trauma as a result of the incident.
"She experiences physical pain daily and will have to undergo treatment on an ongoing basis."
The attack happened when Eggie was out on bail for a separate incident involving his pocket bullies Kosmo and Kiamaya.
They pounced on golden labrador Bruar, which needed vet treatment that cost almost £600.
Kosmo had to be smacked with a pole to stop the onslaught.
Eggie travels the country breeding his dogs and transporting others, as well as appearing at shows.
In November last year he said: "The dogs need to be in the right hands. It's never the dog's fault. It's some owners out there.
"There should be a licence put in place to own dogs not ban them."
His solicitor Sarah Russo showed photographs of gates Eggie has installed at his home to keep the dogs locked in.
She said: "Mr Eggie had an unblemished record of keeping dogs.
"The dogs that he shows are pocket bullies but he's got two little French Bulldogs.
"For Mr Eggie, it's more than dog ownership, he's built an entire business around these dogs."
Eggie admitted his two pocket bullies were dangerously out of control on Boxing Day last year.
He also confessed to breaching bail conditions and allowing his XL Bully to be dangerously out of control, as well as breaking the law ordering the dogs to be muzzled and on a lead at all times.
Eggie will be sentenced next month after dog wardens visit his home to check on the safety measures he's installed.
XL Bullies are banned in England and new restrictions in Scotland came into force in February.
It's now illegal to have one of the killer breed out in public without a muzzle or a lead and owners are not allowed to breed, sell, abandon or give them away.
It will be illegal to own one without an exemption certificate from July 31.
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