Police confiscate 17 dogs and search a van after a little girl was mauled by a pack of XL Bullys

Police have confiscated a further 13 dogs and searched a van after a pack of “XL Bully” dogs mauled a teenage girl playing on the streets of Greater Manchester.

The six-year-old girl was mauled by four dogs just before 2.40pm on Sunday while playing with a friend in a neighboring garden in Carrington.

The young woman was taken to the hospital by ambulance, where she remains in stable condition.

Greater Manchester Police have now seized a total of 17 dogs after four dogs were originally taken from the property. Last night they confirmed that specialist officers had removed another four adult dogs and nine puppies.

So far, three people have been arrested on suspicion of owning a dangerous dog and have since been released on bail.

The little girl was ravaged by four American Bully-style dogs while she was playing in a neighbor’s yard (pictured: a stock image of an American Bully dog).

Police arrested three people on suspicion of owning a dangerous dog. In the picture a map showing the location of the attack

A van was also found and examined in south Manchester as part of the investigation.

Detective Inspector Matthew Dixon, from GMP’s Trafford district, said: “This is a fluid investigation and so far we have recovered 17 dogs and made three arrests and one vehicle of interest.

“However, the investigation is ongoing and anyone with information should contact police quoting log 1612-26/03/23.”

Greater Manchester Police have referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over the incident.

Neighbors told MailOnline how the little girl’s mother yelled: “Help me – my baby” as she tried to fend off the animals.

Her mother, father and neighbors ran to drag the dogs away from the screaming girl on Sunday afternoon. Neighbors claim the dogs escaped from a neighbor’s house and attacked her as she was playing in a front garden in Carrington, Greater Manchester.

A neighbor said: “He’s a breeder. You see a lot of these bully-type dogs there.

The attack took place in Ackers Lane just before 2.40pm on Sunday

‘There were puppies he kept in a trailer.

“The police came here many times to talk to him about different things.

“It was an accident waiting to happen.”

Another neighbor said: “We were all alarmed by the horrific screams.

“I heard her mother scream, ‘Help me, help me – my baby.’

“We ran out and the girl just screamed and then went limp.

“She was covered in blood. Her mother and father and some neighbors pulled the dogs away.

“It was horrible. She is only small.

“Her parents went to the hospital because they thought it would be quicker.

“The girl was unwell. She had been bitten in the face and head.

“I just hope she’s okay. It’s not the first time the police have been at his house.”

Last year alone there were almost 22,000 cases of runaway dogs causing injuries in the UK, compared to around 16,000 cases in 2018, the BBC reported.

Despite the 37 per cent increase in recorded cases, the UK dog population is estimated to have only increased by 15 per cent.

NHS data released last year shows that the number of Britons being abused by dogs has risen dramatically since 2008 – a rate of 15 cases per 100,000 of the UK population.

Overall, the number of those requiring hospital treatment after a dog attack has more than doubled in the last 15 years – with over 10,000 people now requiring specialist care each year.

Ten people were tragically killed by dog ​​attacks in 2022, compared to five deaths in 2021 and two in 2020.