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Owner 'has flashbacks' of moment American bully XL was shot dead

Joanne Robinson Rocco, an XL Bully, and former owner Joanne RobinsonJoanne Robinson
Joanne Robinson said Rocco was a friendly dog who had got caught up in "an awful incident that went horribly wrong"

A dog owner says she suffers flashbacks of the moment her American bully XL was shot dead by armed police.

Specialist police units were called to Orwell Country Park, Ipswich, on 11 July, to reports the animal was "in extreme distress" and "out of control".

Joanne Robinson said her one-year-old dog Rocco was "the sweetest, sweetest boy" who "never left my side".

She said banning the breed was "heartbreaking" news for those who "do take proper care of these dogs".

Suffolk Police said they were "not able to bring it safely under control" and the incident resulted in two members of the public being treated in hospital for injuries.

Joanne Robinson Rocco, an XL BullyJoanne Robinson
She had owned Rocco since he was a puppy, having bought him from a family member who is a breeder

Ms Robinson told BBC Radio Suffolk: "My friends' children used to come round most days and play with him, there were other dogs in the house which he was fine with - it was just an awful incident that went horribly wrong."

She acquired Rocco from a relative from London who bred the dogs and he "came with all his American Bully Kennel Club paperwork".

The breed is not recognised by the Kennel Club in the UK.

Ms Robinson criticised the plan to ban the breed from 1 February.

"They've not even specified what [the breed] is," she said.

"They've come up with all the measurements, so even if the dog is above 20in (51cm) [at the withers] and has this specific jaw, then it's going to be deemed an XL bully."

Joanne Robinson Rocco, an XL Bully, and former owner Joanne RobinsonJoanne Robinson
Losing Rocco was a "trauma" that "has left the family devastated", Ms Robinson said

From 31 December 2023, it will be against the law to sell, abandon, breed from or give away an American bully XL, or have one in public without a lead or muzzle.

Ms Robinson said: "I have flashbacks of the incident, the trauma has left the family devastated, it's like losing a child.

"He was a lovely dog. He got me through losing my mother, the support I had from that dog was unreal in the one year I had him."

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