'I have nightmares over pocket bully dog attack which left me in hospital for days'

A woman has been left "traumatised" after a vicious "pocket bully" dog attack that left her hospitalised.

Gina Evans spent four harrowing days in hospital and needed 22 stitches after the out-of-control pet sank its teeth into her left calf. She says she is haunted by nightmares of the attack, picturing the dog's jaws tearing into her leg in slow motion. The terrifying incident happened while Gina was walking her own dog in Bournemouth, Dorset, when the pocket bully charged down the stairs of her apartment block. Gina said her dog had already been attacked four times by the same animal, and on one occasion, she had to throw her pet over a wall to save it.

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Now, with the dog sold to a new family with children, Gina fears it could strike again. She said: "I put my dog behind me to stop her from getting hurt and he just sunk his teeth into my leg.

"I dropped to the floor and then it was just total chaos. I can still see its teeth just sinking in slow motion into my legs."

Gina criticised the police for not doing more to investigate the incident. She said: "Everything I’ve heard from them, I’ve had to phone and find out myself.

"The last time I had contact with them was two weeks ago." The force said they had spoken to the previous pocket bully dog owner but no arrests had been made.

A spokesperson for Dorset Police said: "At around 4.20pm on Tuesday 1 July 2025, we received a report from the ambulance service that the victim – a local woman aged in her 50s – had been bitten by a dog in Campbell Road in Bournemouth, sustaining a serious leg injury. She attended hospital for treatment to her injury.

"Officers have directly spoken to the dog owner and enquiries are ongoing. The victim has been updated with developments of the investigation. We would advise members of the public to continue to report incidents of this nature to us so we can investigate further and take appropriate action."

Pocket bullies are not covered by the XL Bully ban which came into force in January 2024. It prohibits the ownership, breeding, sale, and gifting of these dogs without an exemption certificate and came as a response to a rise in attacks linked to the breed.

Owners of existing XL Bullies were required to register them for exemption and ensure they were neutered and kept on a lead and muzzle in public.