The RSPCA said the Government should consider alternatives to legislation banning specific breeds, warning the approach ‘fails to reduce dog bites’.

Upon arrival, armed officers shot and killed the dog outside the property. A second suspected XL Bully was also killed inside the residence, and a third smaller dog was seized. Cheshire Police said firearms officers fired 19 shots at the dogs due to "the sheer size and ferocity of these animals".

Authorities said the group's leader is a pit mix and is “highly aggressive." The dog has a history of killing small animals and is a 'huge problem."

The pack of wild dogs has a lead dog that "is a pit mix and is highly aggressive, with a history of attacking and killing small animals," according to Scotland Neck police.

Police in a North Carolina town were on the hunt Monday for a pack of dogs that has been roaming the streets and terrorizing residents for weeks, and had caught one of them.