Dog attack: Scottish police shoot 'bulldog-type' dog dead after it leaves man with serious injuries

A man is in hospital with serious injuries after he was attacked by a “large bulldog-type dog” - which was shot dead by police.

Police Scotland say officers - including a firearms team - and the Scottish Ambulance Service were called to Hamilton, in South Lanarkshire, at around 5pm on Tuesday (23 January) to reports a dog was dangerously out of control - and had attacked someone. Shortly before the attack, another man had been injured by the same dog in a nearby street.

The force said that the dog attempted to attack an officer, and was shot dead by armed police. Paramedics rushed the second victim, who police said had sustained "serious" injuries, to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

The other man attacked shortly before was taken to Hairmyres Hospital to be treated for minor injuries.

Police Scotland described it as a “large bulldog-type dog” - but said further attempts would be made to establish its breed. However, Scottish tabloid The Daily Record reports the dog is understood to be a bully-type recently rehomed from England - but this is yet to be confirmed.

The Scottish government recently indicated that it would follow England and Wales in banning XL bullies - a controversial bulldog-type breed. First Minister Humza Yousaf said this was, in part, due to "a flow of XL bully dogs coming to Scotland, [and] a number of people coming to Scotland to bring XL bully dogs here to the country" as England's ban loomed south of the border.

The incident will also be referred to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner due to the firearms discharge. Superintendent Steven Espie said: “This was a distressing incident for those involved. I would like to reassure the local community that this was a contained incident and there is no further risk to the public.

"There will be a continued police presence in the area while our inquiries continue," he added. “Inquiries are also ongoing to establish the breed of the dog."