Charlie Watts speaks out after XL bully attack in Holt

Charlie Watts, 28, was attacked while trying to break up a fight between her two XL bullies, Titan and Juju, at her home in Holt.

She said that while Juju mauled her, Titan saved her life by defending her until she could get to safety.

Miss Watts has had Titan (white) for three years and took in Juju (dark brown) in December (Image: Charlie Watts)

Miss Watts, who works as a model, raised the alarm by screaming from a bathroom window and police, fire, ambulance and air ambulance crews were sent to her home, in Pheasant Close.

She eventually escaped from the first floor window down a ladder with the help of a neighbour and taken to hospital.

The attack took place on April 9 but Miss Watts is still undergoing regular hospital treatment for her wounds and still has no use of one of her arms.

Miss Watts is an animal lover and has cared for more XL bully dogs in the past (Image: Charlie Watts)

She said she had taken in Titan three years ago and rescued Juju in December, as new government restrictions on ownership of XL bullies loomed.

"Titan saved my life - I wouldn't be here without him," she explained. "Everyone has been coming up with crazy stories and saying both dogs attacked me but it's not true."

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Miss Watts described how she had tried to break up the fight between the two animals when Juju turned on her.

"He was just fixated on hurting me - you could see it in his eyes. But Titan jumped in to fight him off," she recalled.

Titan pictured cuddling Miss Watts' house rabbit, Arthur (Image: Charlie Watts)

"I was trapped on the floor and at one point Juju got hold of my left breast and was playing tug of war with it.

"When he was on top of me I could literally feel my [dental] veneers clashing against his teeth and the only thing stopping him from getting my face was my arm in his mouth.

"I've now got tissue, nerve and muscle damage in my arm and I still have no use of it.

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"The doctors didn't think they'd be able to save my breast implant but luckily they have kept it in. I was going to get them redone last year but I'm so glad I didn't now."

The attack lasted around 35 minutes and Miss Watts was on a group phone call for the entire duration. 

When she eventually managed to flee the home the dogs were left alone in the property for 12 hours while police decided what to do.

Titan also gets along with Miss Watts' chihuahua (Image: Charlie Watts)

Once the dogs were finally removed, Miss Watts' grandparents spent 80 hours cleaning up the blood-soaked property.

After the animals were seized, Juju was quickly determined to be an XL bully and destroyed.

Titan was also found to be an XL but was released on bail back to Miss Watts' home pending a court hearing to decide if he should also be destroyed.

"Titan is my absolute world," she said. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost him so I'm going to do everything I can to save him."

The animal lover, who also has a chihuahua, a house rabbit, hamsters and an anaconda, said she understands dogs and never would have taken Juju in if she had seen any signs of risk.

She said she never saw Juju's attack coming (Image: Charlie Watts)

"I just never saw this coming at all. I'm not stupid, I've had dogs all my life," she said. "I fell in love with Juju as soon as I saw him and travelled all the way to Bradford to get him."

She said that she had been cautious with him when he first arrived at her home, keeping him separate from her other pets until she was sure they would get on.

Miss Watts had to have 80 stitches (Image: Charlie Watts)

Despite the attack, Miss Watts remains a supporter of XL bullies and says that any breed could attack, depending on what trauma they had endured.

"You just never know what people do to those dogs," she said. "My dog [Juju] had four owners before me so anything could've happened to him before.

'You just never know what people do to those dogs' (Image: Charlie Watts)

"I think people should need a license regardless of what pet they have - you even see budgies and hamsters living in all kinds of horrible conditions and they don't deserve that."

Restrictions on XL bully ownership came in to force on February 1, 2024, and it is now an offence to own one without an exemption certificate or sell, abandon, give away, breed or walk one without a lead and muzzle.

The government introduced the changes after a series of attacks involving the breed.

Officials say there have been 23 deaths caused by dog attacks since the start of 2021, with XL bullies "disproportionately involved".