Father, 37, mauled to death by XL Bully had 'worst injuries doctor had seen' from 15-minute attack
19 April 2024, 18:45
A father-of-five who was mauled to death by an XL Bully had the “worst injuries a trauma doctor had ever seen”, an inquest has heard.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Jonathan Hogg, 37, was looking after two dogs for his friend when one of the dogs, an XL Bully named Poseidon, suddenly attacked him.
Mr Hogg was attacked after entering the dog’s pen, after which he ended up lying face down with the animal on top of him.
Poseidon bit Mr Hogg’s scalp and the back of his neck, Bolton Coroners' Court heard.
The savage attack went on for around 10 to 15 minutes before Mr Hogg became unconscious.
Mr Hogg was later rushed to Salford Royal Hospital, where it was discovered he had gone into cardiac arrest and suffered catastrophic blood loss.
Despite the efforts of medical staff, he was pronounced dead in the early hours of May 19 last year.
The dog was destroyed shortly after the incident.
Read more: Out-of-control XL Bully chases Londoners down street, forcing men onto cars and injuring four people
The on-duty doctor at the time, Dr Matthew Muldoon said that Mr Hogg’s injuries were the “single worst trauma case” he had seen in his 10-year career.
Witness Jordan Broxan told the court that the incident “escalated very quickly” and that he had tried to distract the dog during the attack by throwing food and objects at him.
Mr Hogg had reportedly shouted “Poseidon, what are you doing?” before he later tried to escape the dog’s savage attack.
Mr Broxan said: “Hoggy had come out of the caravan to see what the dogs were barking at.
“They both knew him and were comfortable around him.
“To begin with, Poseidon was jumping up at Mr Hogg playfully.
“But then the dog showed some form of aggression towards Hoggy and started tugging the sleeve of his jacket.”
A week before the fatal attack, the RSCPA had visited the house of the dog’s owner William Bates over a concern for the welfare of the animals, the inquest heard on Friday.
The inspector who visited the property in Leigh, Greater Manchester, said she discovered 19 dogs - 13 were puppies and six were XL Bullies, including Poseidon.
She subsequently issued a welfare notice to Mr Bates over the ”sub-optimal” conditions she found the dogs to be living in.
Giving evidence, Mr Bates told the inquest he had considered Mr Hogg more of an “older brother” than just a friend.
Mr Bates, who works as a mobile car valet, said he had “fallen in love” with the banned breed and had acquired dogs from the USA and Ukraine.
“I was trying to better the breed and produce show quality, champion XL bullies,” he told coroner Michael Pemberton.
During cross-examination by Mr Pemberton, Mr Bates denied that he was using his home for the breeding of selling of dogs.
He went on to say that he still missed his friend and that his death "doesn't seem real".
After the attack, Mr Bates was arrested and a criminal investigation was launched but police did not take any further action.
A post-mortem examination said Mr Hogg's cause of death was from head and neck injuries.
In his conclusion, Mr Pemberton said: "It's clear Johnny was a much-loved father, brother and son who will be missed terribly following the unexpected events of that evening.
"This is a stark reminder that however people may be familiar with animals, things can change very rapidly.
"Johnny was in an environment he was familiar with and one he chose to be in."
