One of my elderly dogs is dead and another was left fighting for his life after they were mauled by three unmuzzled XL Bullies

Published: 20:14, 5 May 2026 | Updated: 20:18, 5 May 2026 A heartbroken dog owner has opened up about how one of his elderly pooches is dead and another is still recovering after they were attacked by three XL Bullies.  Blake McElhatton, 31, from Derby, was working as a teaching assistant at the time of the attack last January. But since then he has left two jobs and has PTSD after his pet dog Spirit was brutally killed by a pack of XL Bully dogs while on a walk. The dangerous hounds were not on a lead and did not have a muzzle at the time of the attack - which is against the law. Mr McElhatton was at work when he received a phone call from two friends that his two pet pooches - Spirit a Terrier and Leo a Jack Russell - had been attacked by three beasts.  He rushed to the vets to be by their side and it was here he discovered just how bad Spirit's injuries were.  Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: 'Leo had a fractured leg but Spirit was in a way worse state. He had an open wound to his neck, stomach and his back legs. 'When I went over to him [Spirit] lifted his face up and I took off his oxygen mask and he licked my face. I just kept giving him loads of kisses.' Blake McElhatton, 31, from Derby, pictured with his pet dog Spirit who sadly died after he was mauled by a pack of XL Bully dogs in January  Mr McElhatton with Spirit (right) and his living dog Leo (left). The 31-year-old was at work when he received a phone call from two friends that his two pet pooches had been attacked Mr McElhatton then made the difficult decision that Spirit, who was partially blind and had dementia, was too poorly to undergo surgery and he decided to have him put to sleep. However, rather than feeling sad, Mr McElhatton said he felt more angry than anything else. He said: 'I was just so full of anger and rage because I was at work at the time and because these dogs are my family and they are completely dependent on me to protect them.' Both Mr McElhatton and Leo have been left traumatised by their horrific ordeal. Leo has become a 'completely different dog' according to his owner while Mr McElhatton has been left with PTSD and has started attending therapy. 'I basically have flashbacks all the time. I can't sleep and when I do I have nightmares about it,' he said. 'Leo is just not confident anymore. He's really shaky and anxious and doesn't like being on his own. He's always looking for Spirit.'  But from the tragedy Mr McElhatton is trying to do something positive. He has since launched a GoFundMe to help mount a legal challenge against the owners of the XL Bully dogs. The grieving dog owner is hoping to see the owners fined or even imprisoned for allegedly allowing XL Bully dogs to walk off the lead and without a muzzle. And he wants to sue the owners for the psychological and physical distress caused by the attack.  After the attack, Mr McElhatton made the difficult decision that Spirit, who was partially blind and had dementia, was too poorly to undergo surgery and he decided to have him put to sleep Mr McElhatton and Leo have been left traumatised by their horrific ordeal. Leo has become a 'completely different dog' according to his owner while Mr McElhatton has been left with PTSD and has started attending therapy  Derbyshire Police said a 36-year-old woman from Derby was arrested after the attack on suspicion of 'allowing a fighting dog to be in a public place without a muzzle or lead'. The force said an investigation was ongoing and there had been no charges to date. As well as donations from generous members of the public, Mr McElhatton has also received support from other dog owners whose own pets were either injured or killed by XL Bullys. 'The donations have been really sweet and it just shows that there are still nice people in the world and love will always win over hate... People want justice for Spirit and I've been really moved by them,' he said.  Mr McElhatton has also started a petition calling for the government to review the Dangerous Dog Act 1991 and for dog ownership licensing to be reintroduced. He continued: 'Babies are being killed and even adults are being killed by their own dogs. I've done a lot of research into XL Bullys since the incident and they are not safe to be around and they can't be trusted they can just turn on you. 'I want to raise awareness because what happened to me could happen to anyone.'  To Donate to Mr McElhatton's GoFundMe click here.   No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.