Top plastic surgeon reveals the devastating dog bite injuries he's treated as he calls for nan on restricted breeds

A leading plastic surgeon has called for a ban on restricted dog breeds – revealing he's operated on "devastating" bite injuries.

Professor Jack Kelly said that, along with the physical scars, the psychological trauma from canine attacks can last years.

Mr Kelly, who is president of the Irish Association of Plastic Surgeons, said his profession wants restricted breeds outlawed. His comments come after Ireland's Rural Affairs Minister Heather Humphreys confirmed that the Irish Government plans to ban XL bully dogs.

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She vowed to take action after Limerick woman Nicole Morey, 23, died after being mauled by her XL bullies at her home.

Mr Kelly said: "No plastic surgeon in this country would think it's a good idea to have restricted breed of dogs available to the public here... because of the potential damage they could inflict on young children."

Mr Kelly warned that the powerful jaws of restricted breeds can cause horrific facial injuries. "I've seen people missing pieces of their lip, missing pieces of their ear, missing pieces of their nose. With most bites they just cut the skin, but the restricted breed tends to bite parts of the flesh away as well as the bite itself."

Just days after tragic Nicole was killed, two people were hospitalised in Cork after a horrific attack in which armed gardai shot a dog dead.

Schoolboy Alejandro Mizsan was nine when he was attacked by an XL bully dog while playing with friends in Enniscorthy in November 2022. He suffered horrific injuries to his face, body and legs requiring ongoing surgeries.

Mr Kelly said victims he has encountered have been left "severely scarred". He said: "Those restricted breeds are very powerful animals, and they can cause a lot of soft tissue damage. They tend to be very, very destructive, especially in children."

It is now a criminal offence to own or possess an XL bully dog in England and Wales unless you have a valid Certificate of Exemption. Unlike Britain, no dog breed is banned in Ireland but some breeds including XL bullies are restricted.

In Northern Ireland Andrew Muir, Stormont's Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs minister, revealed plans on restricting ownership of XL Bulldogs in Northern Ireland on March 5.

The psychological trauma is often the unseen consequence of the attack and can last a lifetime. Mr Kelly said: "I see people come in with scars years later, and just looking at the scars would bring back the memory of the dog attack. The scar is there forever as a constant reminder of what happened. They're psychologically as well as physically damaged. A lot of people develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after a bad dog bite, and certainly will take a long time to adjust."

A deeply concerning aspect of dog bites for plastic surgeons is the tendency to attack the faces of children. "It usually ends up with permanent scarring on the face, and a lot of effort to try to reduce the scarring at the time of surgery, and then ongoing care and follow-up, and then multiple revision operations later on for the scars," continued Mr Kelly.

"It has a big effect long-term on kids. We would see quite a number of dog bites on the face, certainly in young children, especially this time of the year for some reason. Kids are off school and they're playing with their pets."

He added: "I've seen quite a few defensive bites on the hands and on the limbs over the years. We've seen some very severe dog bites in the last few years."

Belfast Live revealed in January that restrictions on the American XL Bulldog breed in Northern Ireland would be the first law to be tackled by the newly resurrected Stormont.

In response, the USPCA and Dogs Trust have been working to prepare XL Bully owners in Northern Ireland for the drastic changes, while still pushing against a breed specific ban. They asked XL Bully owners to start learning how to muzzle their pets, allow their dogs to become accustomed to the public muzzling, and start the conversation with their vet about any neutering of their dogs.

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