Father, 37, mauled to death by American Bully XL 'was looking after the animal before it turned on him'
20 May 2023, 12:37 | Updated: 20 May 2023, 12:58
A 37-year-old father was mauled to death by a dog he was looking after when it turned on him, an eyewitness has said.
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Jonathan Hogg, who had just become a father again, died from being mauled by an American Bully XL dog.
His devastated widow Liberty Farrimond, 24, told the Daily Mail: "We've just had a baby and now I've got to explain to our kids why their dad is gone."
Police were called to the scene on Westleigh Lane in Leigh at around 9pm on Thursday evening to find a man with serious injuries believed to have been caused by a dangerously out of control dog.
An eyewitness who owns a nearby business said: "My son was burning rubbish and the dog started barking at him.
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"The dog minder came out and started petting it, just telling it to shush, and then he started play fighting with it - but it suddenly turned on him.
"The minder shouted 'help me' to my lad, who tried to stop what was happening by throwing stones at the dog but it had got out of hand by then. It just happened in minutes."
He told The Sun his son called 999 and has been left traumatised.
Mr Hogg was taken to hospital but died in the early hours of Friday morning. He leaves two children, one aged four months and another aged two.
Despite the efforts of armed officers to subdue the dog, it posed a significant risk to the public and was humanely killed, police said.
A 24-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of owning a dangerously out of control dog causing injury resulting in death. He remains in custody.
Ms Farrimond said: "He was an amazing dad. He would have done anything for them. He was a stay-at-home dad and loved being around his kids.
"Now they've had that taken away by a dog. Our daughter turns two on Sunday, and he should be there. It's not fair."
She added: "He was so well known and everybody loved him - that's all he ever said, about how much he adored his friends and kids."
His family said in a police statement: "Jonathan was a well-loved, sensitive, and kind person who will never know how loved and appreciated he was by everyone who knew him.
"We have been inundated with messages of support and we ask for privacy at this time to come to terms with our loss."
Detective Superintendent Simon Hurst of Greater Manchester Police's Wigan district said: "Firstly, I would like to extend my condolences to the loved ones of the victim of this attack.
"Our officers and our partners are currently supporting the victim’s loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.
"We recognise this incident will rightly cause concern within the local area and we would like to reassure the public that we explored every possible avenue to protect the local community and the animal involved.
"We would urge members of the public to please come forward if they have any information in regard to this incident, any information you may have may be a huge help to our investigation."
Anyone with information is urged to report it to GMP on 101 quoting log 3769 of 18/05/2023. You can also report information online using the ‘report’ tool.
Alternatively, report information to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
