Birmingham police are urgently looking for two American bulldog-type dogs believed to have killed a man found dead in his back garden.
West Midlands police said they were called to a house in Rubery, a suburb in south-west Birmingham, in the early hours of Wednesday after reports that a number of dogs were on the loose.
Officers found a 33-year-old man dead in the back garden of a property where the dogs were believed to have come from.
The force said a postmortem was being carried out to establish his cause of death but it was believed he had been attacked by at least one dog, which may have contributed to his death.
Officers seized two dogs at the scene and police are looking for two other dogs that they believe were also at the address at the time.
Insp Leanne Chapman, of the West Midlands police dog unit, said: “We have officers liaising with vets and the local authority, and are using our drone capability to scour the wider area.
“We really need to hear from anyone who has seen these dogs and it’s vital that if you see them, you don’t approach them but call 999 immediately. Similarly, if you or someone you know has taken the dogs in after finding them loose, we need you to call us as soon as possible.”
The force said none of the dogs involved were believed to be a banned breed, and the two they are seeking are American bulldog types.
Police have an image of one of the dogs they are looking for, a brown dog with white markings, while the other animal is described as black.
Officers are carrying out house-to-house inquiries, reviewing CCTV footage and using specialist dog officers and a drone unit to find the animals.
Supt Sally Simpson, of Birmingham police, said: “This is a really tragic incident and the family of the man are being supported by officers. The investigation into his death is continuing, and our priority right now is finding the other dogs that we believe may have been involved.”
If it is confirmed that the dogs caused the man’s death, it would be the seventh fatality from a dog attack in the UK this year.
On Tuesday, David Daintree, 53, was found dead at his Lancashire home, killed by his XL bully dog. Armed police officers shot the dog at the scene, saying it continued to pose “a significant threat of serious harm”.
XL bullies were added to the list of banned dogs at the start of this year after a series of fatal attacks.
A number of animal organisations, including the RSPCA and Dogs Trust, had urged against the ban, arguing that a focus on specific breeds rather than “prevention and implementation of tougher penalties” for owners of dangerous dogs was misguided.
