Officers take American Bully dog that savaged police horse as owner insists it ... trends now
Officers have seized an American Bully dog which savaged a veteran police horse in a park, as its owner insists the pet acted in self-defence after believing it was being attacked.
Incredibly Hakan Niyazi, 24, claimed the 'gentle' dog called Coco had only reacted as she was 'intimidated' after encountering a horse for the first time when he took her out for a training session to socialise with other dogs at a park near his home.
Unrepentant Niyazi said the horse became 'skittish' when Coco approached it out of curiosity and then dog had then been 'defending itself' believing it was coming under attack. He now fears his pet, which was seized by officers, will be destroyed.
Shocking images captured by a passer-by showed the veteran horse called Urbane coming under a sustained attack while police later released images of the animal's wounds.
The Met Police horse was pictured meeting the Queen Consort, Camilla, while she was Duchess of Cornwall in 2019.
Hakan Niyazi, pictured, claims his pet dog was acting in self-defence when it savaged a veteran police horse
The American Bully dog called Coco (pictured) left the horse with multiple injuries and has now been seized by officers
PH Urbane, pictured here meeting the then-Duchess of Cornwall in 2019, was injured in the incident in Victoria Park
Defiant Niyazi told MailOnline today that the incident in Victoria Park, Hackney, London, on Wednesday, has been 'over exaggerated'.
He said: 'My dog has believed the horse is trying to attack it and as a defence mechanism has kind of tried to stick up for itself.
'Because it's a police horse it has become over exaggerated.
'The dog has been seized by the police. They are probably going to have it put down.'
Hakan's brother, who declined to be named, added: 'It's a family pet. The dog is young - it is barely a year old. It is basically in training. It is by no means vicious to kids or other pets.
'He has taken it to a public place to walk it and do a bit of training.
'It is the first occasion of meeting a horse. It has approached the horse and the horse has got skittish and something has happened and as a result of it the dog has been seized.
'It was an unfortunate set of circumstances. The dog had never seen a horse before.
Veteran police horse PH Urbane, from Bow, was left with multiple injuries after the attack in Victoria Park
The Met Police said the horse ha since been taken to the vet and is now having some 'well-earned recuperation'
Officers from the Met thanked members of the public who tried to help the horse during the attack
'Unfortunately it was a police horse. Because the dog obstructed a police officer on duty that's why they're going to take it more seriously. That's why it was unfortunate.
'Because the dog is young it was being trained. Sometimes the dog gets excited. It runs and it tries to socialise with other dogs.
'There has never been one incident when it has attacked anyone. It has not attacked a kid or another dog.
