A three-year-old child was mauled by the family's XL bully pet.
The incident happened on Monday in Doncaster, when the dog bit the child's face while the child was attempting to climb onto the dog.
The dog was seized at 1.15pm and the boy was quickly taken to the hospital for surgery.
The police seized the animal when they arrived at the scene and it has been kept in kennels while they conduct an investigation.
Emma Cheney, South Yorkshire Police’s chief inspector, stated that the XL bully is a registered animal but it is still dangerous.
She said: 'This family have acknowledged the change in legislation around the XL Bully and registered their dog, but this doesn’t remove the danger that these dogs pose and why the ban has come into place.
‘All dogs can be aggressive; they are animals, but some dogs have greater capability to cause harm due to their size and strength.
‘Children should never be unsupervised when with dogs, even family pets that you believe “would never hurt” your children.
‘A dog’s instinct to protect itself is to bite. Parents should ensure children learn to respect a dog’s space and be encouraged to have boundaries around feeding and resting times.'
Rishi Sunak announced in September that the American XL Bully dog would be banned in the UK following a series of attacks.
This follows attacks including a man who was mauled to death by two dogs near a primary school in Staffordshire.
An 11-year-old schoolgirl was also badly injured when an XL bully dog randomly attacked her as she walked through Birmingham, as well as two men who tried to intervene.
And a boy, 10, was savaged by an out of control dog as he played football outside his house in Walsall.
Other dogs have also been victims of attacks, with a cocker spaniel-dachshund cross seriously injured by an XL bully in Southampton.
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