Individuals Bailed Following Injury to Infant in Suspected XL Bully Incident

Law enforcement officials have released two individuals on bail subsequent to an eight-month-old infant sustaining serious injuries from a dog in Kent. Authorities responded to a call at approximately 14:25 GMT on Wednesday at Siskin Close in Hawkinge, located near Folkestone, concerning an infant reportedly bitten by a dog, identified as a suspected XL bully. The baby girl was transported by air ambulance to a hospital in London, where her condition is described as serious, according to police statements. A woman aged 76 and a man aged 18 were taken into custody on suspicion of being responsible for a dog that was dangerously out of control. Both individuals have been granted bail as investigations proceed, police confirmed. The dog involved was confiscated and euthanized at the residence of the family. A family member informed the BBC that the dog, known as Hunter, had previously exhibited no signs of aggression and that the incident was uncharacteristic of its behavior. “For the dog to do what he did, for me, was totally out of the blue,” he stated. Another relative mentioned that the infant and the dog shared a close bond, describing them as “like two peas in a pod.” She further stated that the mother of the injured baby was “devastated.” “It is shocking. You see and hear about it all the time, but you don’t actually think it is going to happen to your own family,” she commented. In November 2023, law enforcement had previously confiscated an XL bully from Siskin Close after receiving a report of its owner sustaining a minor finger injury from a bite, as the police force had disclosed. A police spokesperson commented: “The owner was asked to voluntarily surrender the dog to officers for destruction, but declined to do so.” “There were no legal grounds for officers to retain the dog in the circumstances, but the owner was asked to agree to accept the conditions of a police order, which included keeping the dog secure and supervised.”