WARNING: This article contains details some peoeple may find distressing.

A distraught dog owner has revealed his horror after discovering bullet holes in his walls and blood on his carpets, following the police shooting of his beloved pets. Ashley Taylor, 35, handed over the keys to his property to officers who arrested him on suspicion of burglary and other offences on July 30 this year.

Before heading to the police station, he left his dogs – Staffordshire Bull Terrier Lotus and American Bulldog Prince – in the kitchen of his Sheffield home. However, upon his return the next day, he was met with a scene of cartridge casings, blood and bullet holes, along with just one of his dog’s collars on the landing.

South Yorkshire Police later stated that the dogs were believed to be an “unregistered XL Bully and a pit bull type”, deemed “aggressive”, and thus were “humanely” destroyed. The loss of his two dogs, who Ashley described as ‘his kids’, left him devastated.

He said: “I’m broken-hearted, to be honest. I had just got home from the police station but I couldn’t stay there. I got changed and walked straight out again.I just don’t understand why they did it. It’s just horrible. They weren’t just dogs, they were like kids, they were like my babies, and they just took them, away like that.”

Ryan Smith, 43, a neighbour in the Woodhouse area of Sheffield, recounted how dozens of officers descended on the address at around 11.30pm on July 30. But police informed him that a search of the property was not possible due to dogs being inside.

Ryan recounted: “I came out my house and there were six or seven police vehicles on the street, and they told me they needed to search the house but couldn’t get in because of the dogs. I said I’ll go in and get them. I stroke those dogs every day, I know them, they know me, they play with my kids.The officer said ‘no no no, it’s an endangerment to life.”

Later, around 3am, Ryan noticed “officers with two big dog cages and a squad of armed officers in full gear” converging on the scene. He further shared: “I heard 12 shots… I think it’s completely wrong. Those dogs would still be alive if they had let me go in and get them.”

The aftermath photos revealed extensive damage, suggesting that one dog, Lotus, was shot in the kitchen, while the second dog, Prince, was chased through the home as shots were fired up the staircase. Ashley described the bloody chaos within his home: “There was smashed glass in my kitchen.There was blood all up my stairs and bullet holes up the walls.

“It looks like they got to the bottom of the stairs and fired up it because my bathroom [at the top of the stairs] is filled with holes.Prince’s collar was left on the stairs. I just don’t understand why they did this. I can just picture them killing Lotus in the kitchen, and chasing Prince through the house shooting at him.”

Ashley has voiced his frustration after staging a protest in Sheffield over an incident that led to the loss of his dogs, Lotus and Prince, whose bodies have yet to be returned to him, nor has he received the keys to his property.

A spokesperson from South Yorkshire Police said: “We were called to Tithe Barn Lane in the Woodhouse area of Sheffield at 4.50pm on Tuesday 30 July following reports of a disturbance.

“Officers were deployed to the scene and detained a man on suspicion of burglary, attempted burglary and possession of a Class A drug before transferring him into Derbyshire Police’s custody.

“Two dogs present in the property, believed to be an unregistered XL Bully and a pit bull type, were displaying aggressive behaviour. Firearms officers were deployed to the property due to the heightened risk of harm as a result of the level of aggression from both dogs.

“Officers were on scene for a over four hours working through tactics, alongside kennel staff and dog handlers, to try and contain the dogs. The dogs could not be safely contained to allow officers to conduct their work and the decision was made to humanely destroy them at the scene.

“The dogs remain in police property while breed assessments and testing takes place. We endeavour to keep the owner updated throughout.”