Woman 19 dies in dog attack

You should have refused - the more people and especially professionals that make their feelings clear the more likely it is that something will be done . How sad that a baby is born into a home full
of such danger

I read something a while ago about how the issue with them is similar to cocker spaniel rage syndrome (although a lot worse because cocker spaniels are small dogs) and thats why people will say they are the nicest dog in the world until suddenly they aren't- and unfortunately once they turn there's nothing you can do about it. It all goes back to a small number of dogs in america who were massively inbred due to their size/temperament and then that bloodline was introduced here.

I don’t understand why anyone would want one of these dogs? They aren’t working dogs, they don’t have good temperaments (or if they do you can’t trust that!) , they look terrifying (or is that why some people want them for some kind of status but that doesn’t explain the thick parents who have them as family dogs you’d have to be an utter moron to let one anywhere near a child).

They all need to be PTS. They are a huge mistake and shouldn’t be allowed to continue existing.

Poor woman 😢

We saw one of these XL Bullies and few weeks ago when visiting a cemetery. The dog was muzzled, but on a long leash, and this was a very narrow path. Everyone was giving them a wide berth, and this meant having to walk on the boggy ground around the headstones to pass them safely. You could see the smirks on the couple's faces. They were enjoying the caution their dog was instilling upon those walking by. Just about sums up the kind of people who own these things.

At the very least compulsory neutering.

Can't fix stupid unfortunately.

I'm a midwife and was made to attend a home birth with an XL bully in the house. I was genuinely so fearful.

Absolute rubbish

Yep. The owners are always the same breed…

They are frightening animals and they should be banned. Not only are we reading about yet another vicious terrifying attack resulting in death there are countless other dogs and cats killed by these monsters that are not hitting the news. Imagine walking your daft old spaniel in your local area and him being ripped apart on front of your eyes. Bloody awful.

Er @OonaStubbs stop frothing. Dogs are not a wild animal. What needs banning is the unregulated breeding and owning. We need to crack down on unscrupulous breeders churning out dogs with health or behavioural issues. And stop anyone being able to buy a pet on the internet and bring it home with no sense of whether they can meet its needs and will actually work to become a responsible dog owner.

I'm also a police dog handler. I assume the officer you refer to got it from an incident/being given up for adoption as to buy it would mean he lost his job.
And yes quite rightly it's muzzled and on lead, you do know by law it has to be right?

I've probably met hundreds of xl's now and all I'll say is I'm glad I'm not your mates Sgt.

It is time to ban the keeping of dogs as pets. We don't let people keep lions or tigers or wolves, so why dogs?

If you regard these things as living weapons then you can ban them and put people in prison for taking one out in public. Much like a knife or a gun.

I'd rather take my chances with a bear (a black one not a polar bear of course!)

I love that someone in the article said the dog was fine with women but wasn't fond of men. Uh, the person the dog killed was a woman. Geez Louise

Yanbu OP. They're mutant and should all be euthanized, no matter how 'soft' they are. I will NEVER understand the psyche of anyone who would choose these abominations as a pet. Either sheer stupidity, ignorance or arrogance. And I say all that as an ardent animal lover prone to rescuing all waifs and strays.

But insurance is no good to a dead person.
If they were all to euthanised then any XL bully looking dog would be known to be illegal. Couldn’t ever go out, couldn’t be treated by a vet.
I agree with you on dog licences for all dogs.

I was about to say something similar.

YANBU

I never, thankfully, come across these types of dogs where I live in the sticks - mostly just very friendly gundogs of various sizes and the odd alsatian or bull dog type. It must be terrifying to live near one of these large fighting dogs especially if you have children. So yes, somehow they need to be controlled better than they are.

I couldn’t be friends with someone who had one of these dogs. It takes a particular type of person to want one of these as a pet.

They're just too big and strong. There's no regulation for dog owners and we can't just rely on them being sensible.

XL's couldn't be an actual police dog. You need discipline, brains and agility (6ft fences after a suspect) to be a police dog.

Agree. I was listening to an item on the radio a couple of years back about dangerous dogs, and the vet talking stated more people end up in hospital each year after being bitten by Labs/Retrievers than perceived 'dangerous' breeds - people are more relaxed around them/leave their children with them as they're considered docile, family dogs. But they feel pain, annoyance etc just like any dog, and will sometimes snap.

The crucial point is, despite the bites, fatal injuries by these breeds are vanishingly rare because they aren't, frankly, psychotic fuckers at heart, don't weigh more than the average person can handle, don't lock-on in an attack and don't generally turn without warning.

I've been around dogs all my life, respect them and aren't generally scared of them. I've handled several 'dodgy' ones. But there's no way i'd willingly be within a country mile of an XL, and it makes me furious that the 'right' of people to own an animal with the propensity to cause so much damage overrides the right of others not to face such a risk. There are still far too many of them around.

I bet we could easily get enough signatures just from MNers