Massive American Bully XL found calmly licking blood off walker after mauling him to death
LONDON, ENGLAND: A dog was reportedly found licking the blood of his walker shortly after mauling him to death in a Hampshire park, according to an inquest. 34-year-old Ian Symes was walking an American Bully XL when the beast overpowered and killed him.
The massive canine, named Kong, had been bought by Symes' friend Callum Jones the previous day from travelers via Snapchat. There was reportedly no paperwork for the animal. Speaking at the inquest, Jones admitted the dog was much bigger than he expected when he purchased it.
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'I was a bit worried'
"He looked smaller in the pictures, I was quite surprised by how big he was," Jones told the inquest. "He did pull quite a lot, I did struggle to walk him, I was a bit worried about that. I took him out with my neighbor once [the evening before Symes' death], the whole way he was just pulling so we decided to go back, there was no way I was walking him as he was so strong. I did warn [Symes and Keltie] not to walk him. I said you can't have one person take him out." Jones recalled he was walking back from his partner's residence at 10.20 am on August 10 when he discovered his dog next to a fatally-wounded Symes at Fareham Park Recreation Ground. "Kong was licking blood and that's when I started freaking out and shouted for help," he said, adding, "The dog was so calm and licking him, he didn't seem in an aggressive manner."
(Hampshire Constabulary)
Looked 'gentle' despite being 'very strong'
Kong seemed "friendly" and "gentle" despite being "very strong," according to Paul Keltie, who was looking after the hound with Symes. Stacey Marsh, a local resident, said she saw Symes playing with the large canine in a "boisterous" way by tapping his cheeks and later telling the animal, "That's enough now." Another nearby resident Juleann Abbot said she heard "gurgling" noises 10 minutes before hearing Jones screaming for help. The Portsmouth Coroners' Court heard how the Bully XL, which had not been "socialized," reverted to its "aggressive" natural instincts and repeatedly bit down on the victim's neck after he began playing with it. The dog reportedly punctured the man's jugular vein, "crushed his voice box," caused "widespread mangling" and "ragged" him around on the ground.
Stark warning
Dr Candy D'Sa, an animal expert who assessed Kong after the attack, offered a stark warning during the inquest about the Bully XL breed, which she noted had been "genetically modified" from banned pit bulls. She revealed that five of the ten Brits killed by dogs last year had been mauled by the new "super-breed" which has only been around for about 15 years and is "bigger and stronger" than their prohibited ancestors. According to D'Sa, Symes died when "rough play" with Kong triggered its "predatory behavior" and the dog's "prey drive" kicked in. "The cause of death was clearly the result of overwhelming neck injuries in keeping with infliction by a large, powerful dog," said Dr Basil Purdue, a Home Office pathologist who carried out the post-mortem on Symes. "It is notable that the dog he was walking weighed slightly more than he did and was powerful in stature," he added, according to the Daily Mirror.
