Lee Bennison was left covered in blood as his beloved pet dog Daisy was killed after being attacked by two unmuzzled XL bully dogs in Darwen, Lancashire
A pet dog has been mauled to death by two unmuzzled XL Bullies while out on a dog walk with her owner, who was left covered in blood as he tried in vain to save his beloved animal.
Lee Bennison, 35, was out walking his two dogs on Friday, June 20, when two large dogs approached him and attacked. A vicious fight left Lee bloodied and his one-year-old Poochon Jackawawa cross, Daisy, dead.
Five-month-old miniature dachshund, Coco, was also injured but mostly unscathed from the attack, which took place outside St Cuthbert’s primary school in Darwen, Lancashire.
Owner Lee said Daisy’s death has left his 10-year-old daughter Lily heartbroken. He said: “As soon as I tackled one dog and tried to pull it away, the other dog came around and tackled Daisy.
“I think I dropped her lead to fight the other dog, I was punching the dog, trying to rip its mouth open – I got it open a couple of times but its jaw was too powerful for me to fight her.
“Then we fought from one side of the road to the other side of the road. I waited for quite a while, until the point where someone had got my other dog who was hiding under a car. When I heard the police I passed out because I was out of energy.”
He added: “Problem is, I have to walk past that place every day. I’ve gone back and I’ve scrubbed all the blood but it’s still there, I can still see it. I can’t sleep, I’m getting like 20 minutes of sleep a day.”
The impact of the attack has been so profound, Lee says, that he even jumped in front of car recently after he heard a dog bark.
Lee’s partner, teaching assistant Jade Wilkinson, 31, had just left the school for her lunch break when she came across the devastating aftermath of the attack.
Speaking through tears, Jade said: “I’d just come out of work and I saw my baby lying on the floor. There was blood everywhere.
“Lee went down a few days after just to try and scrub the blood, because he said ‘I can’t keep walking past there knowing, because there’s just blood everywhere’. It’s had a massive, massive effect on Lee.”
Jane said onlookers filmed the attack rather than helping to step in – with armed police arriving minutes later. Now, she wants to see tougher laws brought in to punish those with out of control dogs.
Since February 2024, it has been illegal to own an XL Bully dog in England and Wales without an exemption certificate.
Those with a valid certificate must keep the dogs on a lead and muzzled when out in public, and must not abandon them or let them stray. Jade said the family has now been forced to fork over £500 for Daisy’s cremation and £200 following Coco’s vet visit.
She added: “We got attacked in the woods before, me and Daisy. It’s just getting beyond a joke, she was such a sweetheart, such a lovely little girl. Now Coco is scared of everything, she’s absolutely petrified of loud noises. Luckily she’s young enough so we can try and work on that, but it’s just not nice.”
A Lancashire Constabulary spokesman said: “We received a report of a dog and a man being attacked by two bully-type dogs on Duddon Avenue in Darwen shortly before 12:30pm on June 20th.
“Very sadly, the dog that was attacked died at the scene. The man has suffered minor injuries. Both dogs have been detained and seized by police, and there is no threat to the wider public.
“Enquiries into the incident are ongoing, and anyone with information or footage is asked to get in touch. You can call 101 quoting log 0672 of 20th June.”