Dog trainer brags about her "absolute beast" before Deptford attack

A GUARD dog trainer shared terrifying footage of her dog viciously barking just months before it savaged a detective in Deptford.

Shayla Dalligan, who owns the dog, bragged about the Belgian Malinois being an “absolute unit” in the caption of her post, which was shared on her training firm’s Instagram page.

The dog – which she nicknamed “Badman Bruce” – can be seen jumping up towards the camera and revealing its ultra-sharp teeth as it barks in the video, which can be seen below.

Just months later the animal plunged its teeth into the plain clothes detective’s stomach in Trundleys Road, leaving her physically and mentally scarred.

Rodney King, 66, who was in charge of the dog at the time, has now been handed an eight-month suspended sentence at Croydon Magistrates Court.

**PICTURED: Ms Dalligan asked the judge not to destroy her dog after the attack**

Mr Harris, defending King, said: “The dog was only around six-months-old at the time. He was a puppy and very excited.”

The lawyer added that his client accepted he was in charge of the dog on May 27 last year and apologised immediately to the detective.

Describing the impact of the attack, the detective told the court: “The physical wound itself was very painful, you can clearly see the teeth marks from the bite.

“My main issue is the feeling of utter helplessness I had when I was being attacked.

“I watched the handler (King) do nothing… I heard my colleague ask him to get control of his dog and I saw him walk away after she said that.

“There was nothing I could do to help myself. This dog then chased me down the street. I did my best to remain calm and I didn’t run.

**PICTURED: The dog trainer said she had enrolled the canine in a training programme to improve his behaviour**

“Those minutes of fast walking away while it was tracking me will forever be in my mind.

“I knew it would not stop and I knew that there was a high chance it would bite me again as it was specifically coming for me.

“I remember holding my arms over my stomach because I thought I’d have a better chance if it got my arm than my stomach.

**PICTURED: The dog attacked a detective in Trundleys Road, Deptford**

“It felt like I was in slow motion, I knew the danger was there but could do nothing. I have had recurring nightmares of this scenario.

“I have been kept up at night thinking about it and have had flashbacks of the attack.”

The detective – who the Lewisham Letter has decided not to name – needed hospital treatment, vaccinations and antibiotics after the attack.

**PICTURED: Ms Dalligan runs a dog training firm called Delta Force K9s**

She still has scars from where the dog’s teeth plunged into her skin and she said she now has panic attacks if she comes into contact with other Belgian Malinois dogs.

She even struggles to play with her own dog in the same way as before as her mind is always taken back to the “horrible noise” Ms Dalligan’s dog made when it attacked her.

Ms Dalligan, who owns Delta Force K9s and Kent Raw Dog Food Supplies, asked Croydon Magistrates Court to spare her dog a destruction order on Friday as she claimed Bruce’s behaviour had improved.

Ms Dalligan said her dog had been retrained with an e-collar — **PICTURED: The dog owner said Bruce had been retrained with an e-collar since the attack**

She told the court: “My life is dogs. He had basic training with me as a puppy and I’ve just sent him to trainers who have done a month-long course with him.

“I told them he allegedly bit an officer and they trained him using an e-collar. They’ve turned him around. He has recall now. He doesn’t bat an eyelid at people.”

Ms Dalligan previously posted a video of the dog barking viciously at the camera on her Delta Force K9 Instagram page.

Ms Dalligan boasted about Bruce being an "absolute beast" in a post on Instagram — **PICTURED: Ms Dalligan boasted about Bruce being an “absolute beast” in a post on Instagram**

The caption of the post, shared in September 2024, said: “Badman Bruce… 5 Months Old & An Absolute UNIT.”

Judge Kumar decided the dog had to be put down on Friday.

Sentencing King, he acknowledged how the defendant had some difficulties earlier in his life.

**PICTURED: Rodney King was handed an eight-month suspended sentence over the attack**

He also accepted that King was a man of limited financial means, working as a handyman and earning around £30 a day on average.

He said King, who gave his address as DD Scrap Metals Ltd – a scrapyard owned by the Dalligans in Trundleys Road, owed much to the “largesse” of the Dalligan family.

He handed the defendant an eight-month suspended sentence and ordered him to pay the detective £720 in compensation through monthly payments.

Home » News » Dog trainer brags about her “absolute beast” before Deptford attack

Dog trainer brags about her “absolute beast” before Deptford attack

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