‘I love you, be careful’: Mother whose 10-year-old son died after vicious XL bully attack reveals her final words to him – and how the tragic day unfolded
- Emma Whitfield’s son Jack was attacked by a seven stone XL bully called Beast
The mother of a 10-year-old boy who was mauled by a vicious XL Bully has revealed the tragic final words she said to her son as he went outside to play – telling him: ‘I love you, be careful’.
Emma Whitfield, 32, lost her eldest child when he was attacked by the seven stone dog called Beast, and is now campaigning for the ‘Jack Lis Law’ – tougher legislation named after her son.
Jack suffered catastrophic injuries in the mauling by the animal after he went out to play at a friend’s house near his home in South Wales on November 8, 2021.
Emma has now detailed her memories of what happened that day in a heartbreaking new post: ‘Jack went out the patio doors and to the shed, he came back with his skateboard and asked to go out to play.
‘Looking back at it, I feel like I should have said no, it was raining, but he was a kid, he wanted to go out to play. His phone was charged, I had no reason to say no.’
Jack Lis was attacked by the XL bully dog while playing with a friend at a house after school in Caerphilly in 2021
Emma Whitfield (pictured), 32, is calling for ‘Jack Lis Law’, named after her son to enforce harsher laws on dangerous dog owners
Before he left their home in Caerphilly for the final time, Emma revealed that she had ‘said the usual things to Jack’ and that her last words to were ‘I love you, be careful.’
Just ten minutes later, she recalls, there was a knock on her door. A woman from her street asked if she was Jack’s mum.
She said yes, and the woman told her news which is every parents worse nightmare – her son had been attacked by a dog.
Emma took her younger son James to a neighbour’s house and jumped in a car, rushing to the spot where the woman said Jack was.
The scene was ‘chaotic’ when they pulled up outside, Emma said. ‘People everywhere shouting and screaming, I could hear a dog barking so, so loudly from inside.’
The mum scrambled to try and find out if it was Jack inside the home, which amid the confusion people were unable to get inside.
‘People were banging the windows to try and distract the dog. I heard one man say “he’s gone, he’s legged it”,’ she said, in reference to the dog’s owner.
Police arrived at the scene and cleared the area, warning people to get indoors as they attempted to gain entry.
To their horror, she said, the dog tried to escape as they opened the door. An officer managed to pull Jack away from the dog and soon after Emma heard gunshots as the animal was destroyed.
Jack suffered ‘severe injuries to the head and neck’ when he was set upon by the seven stone XL Bully, Beast (pictured), while playing at his friend’s home
An ambulance arrived and paramedics ran to help Jack, but tragically the little boy’s injuries were ‘unsurvivable’.
Two people were jailed in connection with the attack. Now the criminal proceedings have ended, Emma said she is determined to campaign for better dog legislation in the UK to prevent this kind of tragedy from ever happening again.
While American Bullies are not banned breeds, they have been known to be cross-bred with illegal pitbulls.
What is the Dangerous Dogs Act?
The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 bans or restricts certain types of dogs and makes it an offence to allow a dog of any breed to be dangerously out of control.
It was introduced 30 years ago by Home Secretary Kenneth Baker ‘to rid the country of the menace of these fighting dogs’ after a string of attacks.
WHICH DOGS ARE BANNED IN THE UK?
It is illegal to own four breeds of dogs without an exemption from a court. They are: American pitbull terriers, Japanese Tosas, Dogo Argentinos and Fila Brazileiros.
The law also criminalises cross-breeds of the above four types of dog – meaning that whether a dog is prohibited will depend on a judgement about its physical characteristics and whether they match the description of a prohibited ‘type’.
WHAT HAPPENS IF THERE’S A DOG ATTACK?
You can get an unlimited fine or be sent to prison for up to six months if your dog is dangerously out of control.
You may not be allowed to own a dog in the future and your dog may be destroyed.
If you let your dog injure someone you can be sent to prison for up to five years or fined. If you deliberately use your dog to injure someone you could be charged with ‘malicious wounding’.
And if you allow your dog to kill someone you can be sent to prison for up to 14 years or get an unlimited fine.
WHY IS THE ACT CONTROVERSIAL?
Both the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the British Veterinary Association have protested against the ban, insisting there is no scientific evidence that all individuals of a breed are dangerous.
However, Met Police data suggests that in incidents involving ‘dangerously out of control dogs’, banned breeds account for about a fifth of offences.
Emma is fronting a campaign to overhaul the Dangerous Dogs Act, which has banned pitbulls since 1991.
She wants to see tougher penalties on dangerous dog owners considered as well as stronger rules to stop illegal and irresponsible breeding and selling.
A further 15 people have lost their lives in dog attacks in the 18 months since Jack’s death, including an 83-year-old woman in Caerphilly, while there were nearly 22,000 cases of injuries from out of control dogs in 2022.
Speaking to The Mirror earlier this year, Jack’s mother said: ‘Enough is enough. This has to stop.
‘It’s mind-blowing how it keeps happening. It should never have happened to Jack but why has nobody learned from this?
‘Innocent people are dying. The Government needs to act now. It’s out of control and there are people losing their kids because of this. I want to stop this happening.’
She said that certain types of dogs have become ‘status symbols’ and said not all breeders or owners need policing under new legislation.
‘To me it is not different than having a lethal weapon,’ she said.
‘My problem is with backyard breeders who don’t care where the dogs go. There is no reason why a dog needs to sell for £10,000 to go into a family home.’
The campaign for the ‘Jack Lis Law’ is backed by the Dog Control Coalition – which includes the RSPCA, Dogs Trust and Battersea Dogs & Cats Home – and Caerphilly’s Labour MP Wayne David.
They are calling for a different approach to dog legislation which includes all dogs and focuses on breeding, training and the sale of dogs.
Calling the problem an epidemic, Mr David said: ‘We have to ask who is next?
‘There can be no doubt that radical reform is needed to dog law. This will only happen when everyone who is concerned pulls together.
‘I’m quoting the police when I say there is more money in selling dogs for some criminals than selling drugs. I’m determined to see this issue addressed by the Government as soon as humanly possible.’
He has previously called for the reintroduction of dog licences.
RSPCA head of companion animals Dr Samantha Gaines said: ‘The Dangerous Dogs Act has failed to protect the public from the risk of bites, we want a new approach.
‘It is also essential measures are available to deter and punish owners of dogs whose behaviour is dangerous.’
The XL Bully is not recognised as an official breed by the UK’s Kennel Club.
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