A father of five who was killed by an XL Bully had the most severe injuries a trauma doctor had ever seen, according to an inquest.
Jonathan Hogg, 37, was looking after his friend’s two dogs, when a male dog called Poseidon suddenly attacked him after he entered the animal’s pen.
Mr Hogg ended up lying face down with the dog on top of him, biting his scalp and the back of his neck, Bolton Coroners’ Court heard.
The attack is estimated to have lasted on and off for around ten to 15 minutes, until Mr Hogg, of Hindley, Greater Manchester, became unconscious.
He was taken to Salford Royal Hospital, where it was discovered he had gone into cardiac arrest and suffered a catastrophic blood loss.
Despite the efforts of medical staff, his injuries were considered unsurvivable and he was pronounced dead at around 2.05am on May 19 last year.
Dr Matthew Muldoon, who was on duty at the hospital, said Mr Hogg’s injuries were the ‘single worst trauma case’ he’d seen in his ten-year-career.
The attack was witnessed by Jordan Broxan, who told the court the incident ‘escalated very quickly’ with Mr Hogg shouting ‘Poseidon, what are you doing?’
The floor layer then made repeated attempts to get away from the dog while Mr Broxan tried to distract the animal by throwing food and objects at him.
Mr Broxan said: ‘Hoggy had come out of the caravan to see what the dogs were barking at.
‘They both knew him and were comfortable around him. To begin with, Poseidon was jumping up at Mr Hogg playfully.
‘But then the dog showed some form of aggression towards Hoggy and started tugging the sleeve of his jacket.’
The inquest heard the week before the fatal attack, the RSPCA had visited the house of William Bates, who owned the dog, over a concern for welfare of the animals.
When the inspector visited the property in Tyldesley, Greater Manchester, she discovered 19 dogs, including 13 puppies and six XL bullies, including Poseidon.
A welfare notice was subsequently issued to Mr Bates over the ‘sub-optimal’ conditions in which the inspector found the dogs to be living.
Giving evidence, Mr Bates said he had known Mr Hogg all his life and he was more like an ‘older brother’ to him than just a friend.
The mobile car valeter also told the coroner that he had ‘fallen in love with’ the dog breed and he had acquired dogs from both the USA and Ukraine.
Mr Bates said: ‘I was trying to better the breed and produce show quality, champion XL bullies.’
Under cross-examination by the coroner Michael Pemberton, Mr Bates denied he was using his home for the breeding of selling of dogs.
He added that he ‘still misses’ his friend and that his death ‘doesn’t seem real.’
On the night of the attack, Mr Bates said Mr Hogg had offered to take the two dogs, Poseidon and Pandora, to the yard.
Mr Bates said: ‘There’s not a minute when I don’t think about what’s happened.
‘I still long for Johnny, it doesn’t feel real.’
After the assault, Mr Bates was arrested and a criminal inquiry was started but police did not take any further action.
The dog itself was put down shortly after the attack.
An examination after death revealed that the father of five died from injuries to his head and neck caused by dog bites.
Mr Pemberton concluded that Mr Hogg’s death was the result of an unexpected and sustained attack by an American XL bully-type dog.
He said: ‘It’s evident Johnny was a beloved father, brother, and son who will be greatly missed after the unforeseen events of that evening.’
‘This is a clear reminder that no matter how well people may know animals, things can change very quickly.
‘Johnny was in a place he was familiar with and one he chose to be in.’
