Your dog is not your babies 'brother'

That's a silly argument. Dogs have been living alongside humans for thousands of years and have evolved with our help to become human companions. Their mothers wouldn't remain in a caring role if they were left to their own devices and we take on the role of carer. It is still difficult to understand all their behaviours but when you spend 24 hours a day with a dog, you do become quite attuned to what they want and how they're going to react to other dogs/humans.

No harm in calling cats and regular dogs brothers/sisters- it's a bit of fun and no one really believes if. But these beasts? No way.

You can't compare XL bullies to any other pets or even any other dogs. They should all be put down.

You're talking about two different issues. Of course XL bullies shouldn't be allowed near children. Or anyone.

But dogs are part of the family. They have the same mummy so they're siblings. I'm only half joking. I lost one of my dogs three weeks ago today and the grief I felt was like nothing I've felt before.

At the end of the day even those of us with well behaved dogs who have been well trained, where we recognise stress signals in our dogs and think we know them very well…. They’re still animals and should never ever be left alone with small children and babies.

That should be the case with any dog, but there is no way I’d allow an XL or any of the other bigger dangerous dogs anywhere near a baby or child (including older children).

I do not for one moment believe you are "intrigued" by anything relating to the relationship between man and dog. You have no understanding of what it means.

But yes, you can tell what your dogs opinion is of people that it knows. They have preferences for certain people or dogs (or cats) in their life, just as we do. If you know your own dog you can read its body language pretty well.

Culling isn’t free.
Humans created the problem in the first place and we will do it again. I believe we’ve started on the Cane Corso now.
You honestly think culling dogs will bring an end to hunger and poverty.. also caused by humans.

Woman and dog are bloody dangerous!!!

If my dogs aren't my babies and not my children's siblings then how do I have these scan photos?

I love pretty much all dogs, but this breed and those sharing similar genes, I’d be happy to see completely euthanized. This owner is a total screw loose. To have one of these unpredictable vicious beasts around your baby!! And when an attack happens she’ll be wailing “but this is so out of character, so not my dog”. Or worst still try saying the baby must have antagonised the dog.

This! XL bullies and the like concern me. There’s a lady on our street with three and she’s about eight stone. I’ve seen them pull her over. They’ve never been aggressive but if one snapped I’m sure the rest of the pack would follow and the person on the receiving end wouldn’t stand a chance.

But I do do refer to my dog as my DCs furry sister. To my dog I refer to my son as her ‘best boy’. Because he’s her favourite person on the whole world. Doesn’t harm anyone and I really don’t care about others opinions 🤷🏻‍♀️

Best comment, from someone with long experience of dogs.

Someone once suggested in my earshot that perhaps I did not birth my dog children, and many years of therapy later, I’m still not quite over it.

The terms and names are not the issue. Our dogs 'call' us 'Mummy' and 'Daddy'.. only obviously they don't, we're just being nauseating dog owners (behind closed doors). They don't think we're Mum/Dad, tbh if they did they'd want nothing to do with us as dog parents don't have a lot to do with their offspring after they mature...

What is relevant is that she is an idiot to think the dog will be kind and gentle to the child for any reason - a dogs (particularly a big dog) fun play can be far too forceful and violent for a tiny child or even an adult and many dogs absolutely will not self-handicap to interact with someone smaller/weaker than themselves (many will but its not something you can rely on!!).

Those of us involved in the dog industry did say it would end up costing the tax payer a fucking fortune - we have the legal system we have, and it doesn't allow for turning people into instant criminals for the crime of 'buying what at the time was a legal item of property' without proper procedure... which takes fucking ages.

Making those owners pay would also take fucking ages, cost a fortune and still result in most of them not paying because you can't get money out of people who haven't any.

Government wanted a quick fix to look like they were doing something constructive and most of the rest of the country were all for it as they bought the lie, and branded anyone suggesting it would be expensive and would not actually work as 'fluffy dog nutters'.

Hey ho.

Agreed. Where I live a 61 year old woman was killed by hers. Her son said he couldn't believe it as the dog was his mother's son...

I do refer to my golden retriever as my baby and as my son’s brother. It’s not entirely serious. If people ask me how many children I have I say one and my son won’t actually be taught to believe that the dog is his brother. I grew up with a dog that was jokingly referred to as my brother, but I obviously knew he wasn’t. It’s just a term of endearment really because the dog is so like a member of the family. I honestly don’t see the issue with it. And I don’t think calling a gentle golden retriever my baby puts me on par with people who have XL bullies that are known to be dangerous around their children.

I think it's weird when people refer to their pets as their children and weirder still to double down and call the animal a sister or brother to your actual child(ren). But each to their own, and call your pets whatever you like.

That said, it is totally delusional or utterly foolish to believe that your dog understands the concept of assuming a familial bond with a tiny, vulnerable, squishy, squeaky human. I can't imagine that an XL Bully would see that baby as anything other than a chew toy.

@Thisandthatandthensome I read the title, clicked and then was disturbed by a phone call.

I was thinking surely people can call dogs and children whatever they want.

THEN I came back and read the OP.

I agree. Entirely.

I have four children. Two house dogs, 28 working dogs, 8 of whom are retired but have a home for life.

Huge kennels with heating and wood burner for bitter nights.

I could, call all 28 back, and have done many times.

I have also made hard calls on "working" breeds, when aggression shown.

I do not breed from anyone but the best of the breed. Two litters. Max, depending on her reaction to first.

I have shown, I do agility, dog trials and gun dog training.

I see no place in this country for those dogs as pets. Ever.

I am fairly sure if you dragged me outside now and tried to kill me, and I let the dogs out, they would react to my panic and kill you first.

However, would they harm anyone normally, nope. Would I give them an opportunity to do so, nope. Would I leave a dog unattended with a baby. Never. With a small child. Never.

Because babies come from humans and we have natural instincts as to what they need from us. And eventually when babies get to the age of judging they do speak English.

We don’t with dogs, only their dog mother does.

But I’m intrigued as to what dogs judge people on and how you can tell?

everytime one of these beasts rips a child apart there are usually videos of the owners talking about how their dog is a great big softy. It isn’t. The whole breed needs destroying as quickly as possible. I don’t think there’s any harm in people jokingly calling the dog their child’s brother/sister I do think that babying dogs, treating them as actual humans is really not in the dogs best interests.

No. But babies don't speak English either do they? Yet the parents can usually figure out what their baby is telling them just from how it behaves. It is very much the same when you have a close bond with your dog.

The dog haters and cynophobes on here always claim to not have a problem with dogs. It's really very odd.

But they’re very rarely deadly

Well I’ve never met one that can speak English, have you?

I have no problem with dogs at all. It’s crazy dog people I can’t be doing with. And they’re bloody everywhere right now imposing their stupidity on the poor creatures they profess to love. It never used to be like this - when I was younger people treated dog ownership sensibly, and treated dogs like animals, not humans