AN ex-Manchester United star has said he is "going into hiding" with his XL Bully pet dog after Rishi Sunak vowed to ban the breed.
Demetri Mitchell, 26, has hit out at the government after the PM pledged on Friday to outlaw the breed by the end of the year following a spate of horrifying attacks.
The footballer, who only made one Premier League appearance for the club at Old Trafford, recently shared snaps and videos of his tanned hound in an attempt to show it was well-behaved.
It's understood the now Exeter City player has raised the dog, named Zico, since he was a pup.
And following the PM's announced, Mitchell posted to X/Twitter: "Guess we’re going into hiding Zico."
Rishi Sunak's decision comes after a series of fatalities caused by XL Bully dogs.
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He said he shared the nation's "horror" at several videos showing vicious maulings in recent days, including of children.
The PM said: "It is clear this is not about a handful of badly trained dogs, it’s a pattern of behaviour and it cannot go on.
He has ordered officials to work on defining the dangerous breed so it can be banned under the existing Dangerous Dogs Act.
The Sun understands existing XL bullies will be given amnesty, similarly to the 1991 pitbull ban.
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But it is likely they will have to wear a muzzle and kept on the lead at all time in public.
Vowing to bring in new laws by the end of the year, he promised to work "fast" to protect the public.
The PM said in a video posted on X/Twitter: "These dogs are dangerous and I want to reassure the public we will take all the necessary steps to keep them safe."
A total of six people have already been viciously savaged by beasts this year.
On Friday Ian Price, 52, tragically died after he was mauled by two XL Bully dogs.
The dad-of-two tried to protect his elderly mum from them when they escaped from a property in Stonnall, Staffordshire.
On Wednesday, a 10-year-old boy was set upon by the same breed of dog as he played football outside his home.
The youngster was kicking a football around on his family's front drive, in Walsall, when the dog came out of nowhere and leapt on him.
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He was knocked to the ground, with the hound sinking its teeth into his arms and legs.
And just a few days before, an 11-year-old girl was attacked by an XL Bully in Bordesley Green, Birmingham.
Fatal dog attacks in 2023
Six people have died in dog attacks this year:
- Natasha Johnston, 28 – killed by a pack of dogs in Surrey in January
- Alice Stones, 4 – attacked in her back garden in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire in February
- Wayne Stevens, 51 – mauled by an "out-of-control" dog in Derby in April
- Jonathan Hogg, 37 – savaged to death by an American XL Bully in Leigh in May
- Woman in her 70s – mauled to death as she sunbathed in her Warwickshire garden
- Ian Price, 52 – mauled by two XL Bully dogs in Stonnall, Staffordshire
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