What’s with these XL Bullies?

[wonderr]

Have just read that another of these dogs is responsible for a death.

I haven’t heard of them - what breed is this, a new one? Surely they should be banned?

No, it's both. Chihuahuas aren't going to maul a woman to death no matter who owns them.

The breeds that appear in the fatal list over and over need ownership controls. It’s all very well to say it’s the owner not the breed, yes ok it is, but a bad owner of one of those dogs has the potential to cause a lot more damage than a bad owner of a little dog. So you have to have controls on the owners of those breeds. Or just wait for more fatalities.

my dh was walking quietly with my small dog when suddenly there was a terrifying growl and my dh was charged and knocked flat on the floor. My dh is the size of an England rugby player. The dog was about to kill my dog when the lad who owned it tried to pull it off. Bitten badly, blood everywhere. Both the youth and the dog ran away.

I read a very interesting piece a while back from a dog expert. This person gave advice that if a dog is attacking a person or animal, if you grab their back legs and lift them off the ground, they will let go of the victim.
Fortunately I have never been around when a dog has attacked , but it's certainly worth knowing about, if a victim could be saved

A 1 1/2 year old was killed by their own dog. The mum posted on TikTok. "I guess time wasn't on our side. Until we meet again" as though this horrendous death couldn't have been avoided.

Plus balloon releases all recorded to post online.

The risk with doing this is the dog will let go of the victim, turn around and attack you. Never, ever try and physically break up a dog fight.

The best advice is to cover the dog up and disorientate them or chuck a bucket of water over them. Obviously not always possible but much safer than getting yourself anywhere near an attacking dog.

I've just looked that up and though you're right as a last resort, the American Kennel Club website suggests several things to try first if it's dog-vs-dog:
www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/stopping-dog-fight-confrontation-fighting-dogs/

Contrary to pp, I do think bans work. They won't stop everyone, but it means that any these repeatedly dangerous dogs (yes, I agree it's about the owners as well too, but there is a clear correlation) if seen out and about can be reported and something done about them BEFORE they attack, rather than having to wait until they do.

I'm a dog lover so I don't say this lightly, but I am also a mum to two young DC and the thought of my kids coming up against one of these is terrifying.

Being bitten by a Spaniel is going to need a tetanus jab ,and maybe some stitches .Huge dogs like this are killing /fighting machines.They have very hard lives and are trained to fight .Our friends dog was attacked and died from his injuries just walking by the house!

If breed bans worked, why have fatal dog attacks increased since the dangerous dogs act came into force?

If you ban XL bullies, people will just pick another breed or mix of dog.

I don't actually agree with XL bullies as pets as I think they're too strong and aggressive but I don't think banning them will actually change anything.

@coffeecupsandfairylights Very fair point. I don't know.

I find that subscribing to the idea that 'there are no bad dogs, only bad owners' is quite delusional and dangerous.

A lot of people buy entirely into the biblical idea of human dominion over animals, and that the animal has no agency if only the human has trained and subdued it well enough.

Well no. That's not watertight at all. Some breeds clearly have more capacity to badly injure as well as being more popular with the types of owner who won't take any trouble to instil good behaviour and temperament as well as prioritise their welfare and comfort.

However, each dog has a brain of it's own. It will react to situations in an individual way and this can involve taking owners by surprise completely even if the dog has been placid previously. However well trained you think your dog is, you are not 100% in control of it. It is not a toy. You are not some kind of all powerful master. All animals need to be treated with the respect they deserve. A bulldog is not the same as a bloody lapdog and these risks need to be understood, not obfuscated.

I completely agree with this. I’d never seen an xl bully in real life until recently, walking down a narrow footpath with my 3 year old and newborn in a pram. Seeing it up close, not on a lead looking so strong and muscular, bigger than my 3 year old was quite frightening to be honest. I am not scared of dogs but this sort of dog could tear a toddler or baby to pieces in an instant

I occasionally see one of these when out walking my spaniel. He’s absolutely huge and quite intimidating, especially as the poor thing has cropped ears. I got talking to his owner one day and apparently she took him in as a cruelty case rescue as an 8 month old puppy. He’s now nearly two and seems pretty laid back but as awful as it sounds I can’t help but think his early experiences will one day come out and I’ll read about another tragic dog attack.

In my opinion who choses to have one of these dogs is a braindead wannabe gangster. They are unsuitable for family life and the owners are invariably the last people who should own any kind of dog let alone one with the potential to kill a grown adult. Unfortunately I doubt there is much that can be done to prevent it.

Last night on our last day of our holiday I was walking my 4 month old lab puppy on a lead when an XL bully flew out of a nearby house and attacked her. Luckily I managed to get him off her and she sustained an eye injury which should fully heal. I was also bitten. The owner was apologetic but clueless. I've reported it but not sure what will happen. My pup has been so well socialised and Im so worried this will affect her now. I've always had big dogs (Rhodesian ridgebacks) who were very well trained and he was twice their size.

If the sale of dogs could be prevented on Gumtree and other sites, that would help. If you go on and search for xl bullies it's absolutely terrifying how many they are. Plus crosses of xl bullies with breeds like cane corso and presa canarios. Wtf will you end up with? You aren't allowed to own lions or chimpanzees so why dogs like these can change hands so easily is horrifying. And the fact that people are taking dogs of that size and strength back to their families beggars belief. It is frightening that anyone can get one and take it out in public. But while people can make money out of it, it will continue and these attacks will keep on increasing.

That must have been terrifying! If the dog bit you it should be destroyed though surely?

There's loads near me, and they're all owned by people who can hardly hold them back with a harness.
A woman I work with got one recently because "everyone's got one" and admitted she doesn't really like dogs, and it's going to be in a cage except for on walks once a day and to eat. She's got two young children. Can't see anything going wrong with that at all.
I'm not scared of dogs and I've had them all my life, but there's no way I'd have an XL bully near my daughter or my dog. the ones round here aren't even trained to come back never mind anything else.

To me it’s a sign of complete stupidity.

I was at a playdate with DS and the girls neighbour who was a little old lady came past (communal garden) with 2 XL Bullys on a lead. One was muzzled. It was very bizarre. They could easily have pulled her over.

To give you an idea of why we need urgent action taken with these breeds, here’s a prime example of one for sale.

Poor dog is almost two years old and has never been socialised with children. It’s suggested that she not be around children. She also dislikes other dogs including her own breed, and clearly is a nightmare to handle. There are many more like this. The dog needs to be handed in and PTS, and I don’t say that lightly.

www.pets4homes.co.uk/classifieds/9dyfgszlq-xl-bully-female-nottingham/

I know any breed can bite but these fatalities are never nice MC families and Labradors are they?
Its more the people than the breed and the type of dogs they prefer

The problem isn't the breed per se. It's a combination of a careless owner and a breed that can be dangerous if not properly trained/controlled.

Exactly!
And the explosion in pet ownership IMO is a bad thing. Especially with people arguing about their ‘right’ to have pets, emotional support animal blah2.

WTF? It’s a living thing. Not a mental health aid. You must care for and respect your animal as an animal. It’s not a human!

Even disabled people who need guide dogs etc are vetted, get them well trained. In fact they treat they dogs better. As they are working dogs. Someone who didn’t have the capacity to take care of a dog won’t be allowed one, no matter how much they ‘needed’ it. They’d have to have carers feed and walk it at the very least.