Hull dog owner who tried to castrate XL bully avoids prison

Elliott Arnold, 31, thought castrating his pet would save it from being seized under a new ban. Credit: MEN Media

A dog owner who tried to castrate his XL bully after the breed was banned has avoided an immediate prison sentence.

Elliott Arnold, 31 from Hull, admitted he was a "fool" for attempting the procedure using elastic bands, thinking that it would save the animal from being seized and destroyed.

The dog, called Frank, was left with life-threatening injuries.

Hull Crown Court heard Arnold had taken it to a vets after attempting to neuter it at home.

Oliver Shipley, prosecuting, said: "The defendant was advised by the veterinary staff that Frank was in a very serious and life-threatening condition and would require surgery.

"Frank was treated and, fortunately, he survived the ordeal. Both the nurse and the surgeon were of the view that Frank suffered with traumatic pain, which could have caused sepsis if it had been left untreated, leading to death.

"She had never seen anything like it in her 20 years as a veterinary surgeon."

The government announced in late 2023 that XL bullies would be banned

Arnold had watched YouTube videos about how to castrate dogs in the run-up to the botched procedure but told the court he was "not a savage."

He said: "I can't bear to relive it. I have shame and regret about it. I have never wanted to hide my actions. Wrongly or stupidly, I acted out of fear.

"I have never been in trouble before. It's my first ever conviction. I just made a terrible mistake. I thought he was going to be put down and marked as a dangerous breed. I feared that he was going to be euthanised."

Arnold said of his attempt to castrate the dog: "I believed that I could safely do it myself at home. It was a mistake.

"Frank was genuinely in no visible distress. I may be a fool but I'm not a savage. I have had dogs all my life."

The judge Mark Bury said that Arnold had been "incredibly stupid", but accepted that he did not mean to harm the animal.

Arnold was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a dog at Hull Crown Court last September.

He was handed a 24-week suspended prison sentence and he was ordered to pay £500 costs. No ban was made on him keeping animals because the incident was a one-off.

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