XL Bully Around Children

I thought that too 😆

She does does sound like a danger to herself and others tbh.

Who would even want such an ugly aggressive hunk of meat walking around their house? Like something out of a horror movie that would rip your throat out at any time. It baffles me. They must be thick as pig shit. It’s the only explanation.

It not necessarily nature versus nurture . Many of these dogs go back to one particular stud dog who’s offspring have unstable temperaments . This dog has been so over used and appears on some pedigrees many times . These dogs can appear fine and normal but can change like the flick of a switch .it is due to a neurological disorder. I would not allow my family near one . The change is similar to cocker rage that was seen a number of years ago

I'm all for the bad owner vs bad dog considerations but there are exceptions. Please tell your sister to Google Killer Kimbo. There were articles recently showing that more than half of all XL Bully breeding studs I'm the UK came from this dog who was the product of brother-sister breeding himself. There's a reason these dogs are unstable.

I don't believe in/support breed specific legislation and love bull breeds in general but I would have my child nowhere near that dog OP. There's clearly a problem with breeding/genetics of XL's in this country (interestingly the US, where the breed originated, are not seeing the same issues with aggression) and it's impossible to tell which dogs are affected until it's too late and they've already killed or injured someone.

The consequences of sticking to your guns are that some people will think/say you're being 'precious', the consequences of allowing your DC around the dog could be as serious as death so there's no contest is there really. I would just stick to 'my DC, my decision' as a response to any pressure/guilt trips and refuse to get into a debate about it if I were you. You've risk assessed the situation for your DC, as any parent should, and (correctly in my view) decided the risk is too great so that's that, whatever anyone says.

This is the article a previous commenter mentioned: https://news.sky.com/story/mum-who-thought-xl-bully-was-lovely-urges-tighter-laws-after-son-6-was-attacked-13002099

Maybe send it to her? It's basically your SIL, in a few months' time, regretting the decision having just saved her young son from their 'lovely' XL bully while she was lucky enough to be in the next room when it attacked.

I wouldn’t let my small children visit any where with a big dog (big enough to seriously injure my child) that wasn’t put in a separate room to the children. No matter how friendly or docile, they’re animals. Some humans can barely control the urge to slap a child as discipline, how can we expect better from dogs?!

I have a small dog that hasn’t ever bit but might be prone to biting. I am comfortable that if she bit a reasonable sized human it would be painful but not life altering. I keep her away from smaller humans as she might be able to do more damage to them. It’s just common sense.

My friend has 2 pitbulls. I won't go round to her house because I can't risk myself or my baby getting bitten. So no you're NBU

I’m not sure you can muzzle a SIL however much some mumsnetters would like to

Nope, I'd not be letting young kids around one of those brutes at all.

I've got three big dogs who are all very soppy, friendly creatures (one of them a retired therapy dog for children with SEN so like... REALLY soppy) and I still shut them in a different room when my SIL comes over with her little ones. Not because I think they'd do anything but because young children can be rambunctious and don't understand doggy body language, and I'd rather be safe than sorry. Do I think they could probably sit and spend an hour poking my greyhound in the eye and he wouldn't do anything? Yes. Do I want to risk it with a small child? Nope.

Anyone unwilling to keep big dogs with a bite like a hyena and small children separate, or who think such a request is dramatic or an overreaction shouldn't be buying a big dog. Or any dog really but definitely not one that can kill a grown man.

Also, you'll have to really be on your guard here. Does your DH have other siblings? What about PIL - what do they think of this lunacy? You need to ensure that if visiting PIL or DH's other siblings that SIL will not be allowed bring that monster dog over, otherwise you will have to stop visits to their houses too, if you can't trust them to act in your DCs best interests.

"It's not the breed it's the owner" is such a moronic thing to say. XL bullies are bred from pit bulls, a breed designed initially for bull baiting then for dog fighting. They were bred to kill.

As such, XL bullies and all other breeds in the pit bull family have the following traits as standard (not all individuals belonging to these breeds but these are the expected typical traits)
:

• A high prey drive.
• Impulsive aggression.
• They bite to kill: they latch and shake and don't let go. They go for the head and neck because their intent is to do maximum damage.
• Tenacity: they will keep going until the job is finished. This is to ensure they kept fighting through the pain of injuries. Tenacity also results in bully breeds destroying houses and furniture.
• A heightened fight or flight instinct, making them neurotic.
• Minimal body language: they were bred to not give visual warnings about their attacks, to gain an advantage over their opponents. This leads to "but he's so sweet!" incidents: bullies often won't show you if they're not sweet.
• Very large litters: because of the high death rate in dog fighting - and also puppies being killed by their own mothers and littermates - large litters were necessary to replace the losses. This is why their population has exploded so rapidly.
• Very wide mouths, for a bigger bite and to continue to take in air while biting for a long time.

None of this is correctable by training. You CANNOT train away genetics.

There is a reason why dog fighters do not fight with German Shepherds or Great Danes: it's not just size and strength, it's personality traits. Collie pups try to herd with no training, bully pups try to fight.

All owners can do is hope that their individual dog really is as sweet as they seem, rather than just not broadcasting violent thoughts and feelings as is typical for fighting breeds. You cannot tell the difference between a sweet XL who will never harm a fly, and an XL with the characteristic of scarce body language who will one day appear to catastrophically "turn" without warning.

I would refuse to ever allow DC visit SIL or be anywhere around that dog, be that at home or outdoors. I would also be pointing out that SIL will need to get used to nobody allowing their DC over for play dates to her house because there is no way in hell I would allow DC over to a house with an XL bully dog. Your SIL is a fucking idiot.

I grew up with large breed dogs that people could find intimidating and have no problems with many large breeds, - but an XL! Hell to the nope nope nope!!
They are monstrously strong and built to fight. The damage they can do is unreal. 10 stone of basically muscle on your throat is never going to be a happy outcome.

Totally support your decision OP. She sounds like a complete idiot.

Totally agree with @Mammillaria - am a big believer its not the dog but the owner. I am judging your sister in law for 1) buying a dog - especially when rescues and pounds full of puppies and abandoned dogs 2) obviously hasn't done research into the bred to see if fits in her lifestyle etc and 3) already saying no she not going to do x y and z so realistically she not going to train the dog and give it the proper exercise etc. Legislation needs to be tightened that you cant juts buy any dog, breeders cant just keep breeding, Any dog from a jack Russel to a rottie can kill and bite, you are within your rights to not go to her house

"bring your kids round to play with my new chainsaw"

Nope.

Not a snowball chance in heĺl should your kids be near that dog

I wouldn’t go anywhere near it unmuzzled.

I have family with a Cane Corso and don’t visit them

What's wrong with a Pomeranian or a Dachshund?

She is refusing to muzzle or put the dog away as she said it’s a pet that needs to be socialised with people and putting the dog away will add to the issue

She's right about the socialisation and I wouldn't put a puppy away if people were visiting for this reason but she should muzzle train him from day one and he can be socialised with a muzzle on.

There was a piece in one of the papers today about a woman whose XL bully had bitten her 6 year old. She said the dog had been the family pet for some time, no signs at all that he would bite and that she had to physically wrestle him off of her son. She is supportive of the ban and feels her son would have been killed if she had not heard that attack and rushed in.

These puppies should all be put down now not sold as "discounted"🙄

It's the fact OP has already said she's wary around all bull breeds due to a previous attack. That, plus all the publicity, the fact they're almost banned, and owning one will be a complete nightmare with having to keep them muzzled, early neutering, registered. Just why would anyone put themselves or their family (or indeed the dog) through it if they didn't already have one?

I’d question the sanity of an breeder breeding these dogs now, and anyone buying one knowing the responsibilities that they are going to have going forwards