19-year-old girl from rescue centre attacked by 110lb bully so badly she thought she 'was going to die'

A dog rescue worker is “lucky to be alive” after being attacked by a 110lb bully while she was at work.

Gilana Milner thought she was going to die when a rescue dog named Hugo lunged at her as she was changing her water bowl at Flushdyke Dog Shelter and Rehabilitation Centre in Yorkshire in May 2023.

The huge dog dragged her to the ground and began mauling her chest and leg for five minutes before staff managed to pull it away, likely saving her life.

The 19-year-old was treated at the scene in an ambulance for an hour and a half, then taken to Pinderfields Hospital for two hours of surgery on her legs and chest, after which she suffered an infection.

But despite her horrific ordeal, Gilana doesn’t blame the dog and believes the government’s ban on XL bullies is unfair because it’s not their fault they’re aggressive.

Gilana Milner was attacked by a 50kg bully while working at Flushdyke Dog Shelter and Rehabilitation Centre in Yorkshire in May 2023.

The 19-year-old suffered multiple bites to her legs and chest, which required two hours of surgery to treat.

Gilana’s leg is covered in bruises and bite marks after the horrific attack. She believes she would have died if staff hadn’t intervened to get the dog away from her.

Gilana, from Wakefield, said: “I’m lucky to be alive. He was teasing me and I couldn’t do anything. I was screaming and screaming.”

“(But) I don’t agree with their ban: if dogs have problems, it’s because of past trauma or the way they were treated by humans.”

Recalling the attack, she added: “I tried to reach the door several times. They aim for the big arteries in the legs. When they have you down, they aim for the neck.”

“I kept thinking about my mother. I knew I was going to die and I didn’t want to.

“I kept looking at the dog and thinking this couldn’t be real, it was like a nightmare.

“If no one had been in the yard to hear me scream, the dog would certainly have killed me.

“I love my job, but I guess the only downside is that you never know if the kennel you’re about to enter will be your last.

“I wasn’t afraid of this dog, but he used to stand and stare at me while I was cleaning.

“I know now that they do this while they are tracking you, before they attack.”

The XL Bully that attacked her was on the street before being brought to Flushdyke Dog Boarding & Rehoming, where Gilana worked for more than two years (Stock image)

Gilana (pictured) doesn’t blame the dog for attacking her and instead believes it’s not her fault he’s aggressive

The dog was on the streets before being brought to Flushdyke Dog Boarding & Rehoming, where Gilana worked for over two years.

She was alone cleaning the kennel because a colleague had gone on break. Gilana then entered Hugo’s kennel and was about to leave with his bowl of water to cool him down when he got up and bit her on the chest.

The dog was sprayed with a substance similar to pepper spray, but he would not release Gilana and staff had to fight him off and drag her out of the kennel.

Following the attack, Gilana has hypersensitivity in some parts of her legs, causing pain when touched, and numbness in other areas.

She is now starting a new job as a patient care assistant at a vet and is awaiting a specialist consultation. But she returned to work after the attack, although she had difficulty walking.

She said: “I really wanted to go back to work. I’ve wanted to help dogs since I was five and I still want to be an RSPCA officer.”

“I’m getting used to the pain and the scars, but I don’t think I’ll fully recover.

“I still have dreams about the attack happening two nights a week. It’s horrible, I wake up hyperventilating.

Gilana is left with numerous bites and bruises from the horrific ordeal, which sometimes keeps her awake at night.

A bite mark is clearly visible on Gilana’s leg from the attacks, although despite her injuries she returned to work a month later.

“I was in terrible agony. I had to take a lot of morphine. I could have lost my legs because of the infection.

“I’m pretty strong, but honestly, I don’t know how I got back up during the attack… The XL tyrants are really, really strong.”

As of December 31, 2023, it is illegal to sell, give away, abandon or breed an XL bully and as of February 1, 2024, it is considered a criminal offense to possess an XL bully without an exemption certificate.

Gilana said: “They don’t attack more than other dogs, but their attacks put their lives in danger. I think it’s enough that they are muzzled and kept on a leash.”

“I agree, you would need a permit to have an XL-sized bully. But the problem with banning them is that they all get dumped and we rescue them – it creates a lot more work for us.

“Since the ban, they started coming every day, sometimes three a day.”

A Flushdike spokesperson said: “We were all very shaken by this – all the staff involved were in tears.

“I can’t imagine the impact this has had on Gilana and we have spent a lot of time trying to help her.

“Even when we have enough dogs to require more than one person, all staff work independently, so it is normal for a staff member to clean a kennel alone.

“If a dog showed signs of aggression we would have more than one member of staff working with him at any one time, but this dog had been with us for over three weeks and showed no signs of aggression: everyone loved him very much.

Gilana was put on a drip and spent two hours in hospital during the operation. Her wounds also became infected shortly after.

Bruises are visible on parts of Gilana’s leg. Her injuries left her unable to walk in the months following the attack.

“Anyone in the yard would hear if someone started yelling, and our staff did everything they could to keep the dog away from Gilana.

“All the staff carry walkie-talkies, but Gilana couldn’t reach hers because of where the dog was biting her.

“Since this incident, and after consultation with Gilana, all staff carry their walkie-talkie and a can of anti-bite spray in a chest harness.

“We were investigated by Environmental Health Services, RIDDOR and our insurance company following this incident and they found that we did everything we were supposed to do.”