Government to *finally* look at banning XL bullies

[NoCharnce]

Thank goodness. I cannot believe it has taken so long* to even look at banning these awful creatures (I say that as a dog lover). Looks like the viral footage of an XL mauling two men who were trying to defend an 11 year old girl is the straw that broke the camels back.

Tweet direct from Home Sec: https://x.com/suellabraverman/status/1700924751646982312?s=46&t=QlNZXgFJWDXuxa3K3yo7ag

*policy makers have been captured by the RSPCA/Dog’s Trust etc “it’s not the breed, it’s the owner” dogma

No dog breed, historically, has been bred to kill and maim humans. Bull breeds were not bred to kill people. They were bred for bull baiting and specifically bred not to show any aggression towards their human handlers, even in states of high arousal, making them one of the "safest" breeds to keep around people, traditionally.

If this has changed, and I am not denying that these dogs have been the victim of decades of piss poor breeding, it is down to modern breeding practices and there is nothing stopping the people who have done this to bull breeds from moving on to labs, poodles, sighthounds, etc and doing the same to them.

The only way to stop this is to put tighter controls on breeding.

Plus, this "breed" is not a breed. It is a mixture of breeds, a mongrel, essentially, so the legislation to ban them will yet again be a set of nonsensical measurements that can just easily target completely innocent breeds.

Attacks on children have risen year on year since BSL came into place, proving it has not done what it set out to do.

We are looking at the wrong end of the lead. The problem is entirely human.

these dogs need to be banned. Any idiot knows that. Unfortunately there are too many dick head humans owning them so it is what it is. BAN THEM!!

If a dog attacks someone, the owner should be jailed. The recent incident, the owner was "spoken to" by police. Bloody useless!!!

That's crazy. Has the dog been destroyed?

Bull breeds were not bred to kill people. They were bred for bull baiting
They were also bred for dog fighting. Not ideal to be walking them in the park.

Well clearly what should have happened is that this animal was destroyed and the owner arrested.

The majority of it is the owner not the breed with XL bullies. The only people who want to own a dog like this are chavvy morons who shouldn't be allowed to reproduce let alone own a powerful animal capable of killing someone!

Aren't dachunds and corgis liked because of the bodies that inbred genetic dwarfism make for them?

Have lived in the NE since the 1970s. Back then round here, a lot of illegal dogfights and badger baiting used to go on. Gambling among the spectator/owners was of course a vital part of it. At least that seems to have stopped.

@Ostryga obviously different dog breeds. 🙄

XL Bully needs to be banned. All dogs in public should be muzzled and on a lead. Owners whose dog attacks/injures/kills should be sued for all they are worth and jailed.

No one should be hurt by a dog.

When my dc was attacked by a dog and needed stitches in hospital, all the owner got was a 'chat' by a very wet police officer.

An XL bully who lives down my road used to be walked off lead around the streets by the very small female owner. He attacked a spaniel who was on a lead just going out for a walk, still on their own driveway. I think the spaniel was saved because the owner picked it up so the dog couldn’t shake it. XL bully owner apparently just pleaded with it to let go! From their conversation afterwards, it wasn’t the first time it had attacked another dog.

Same XL bully is now walked by the same woman, but she’s on a scooter and the dog runs down the road pulling her!! When she actually walks it, it drags her down the road.

It scares me to walk past it. It’s got a slightly deranged look in its eyes and an owner who can hardly hold the lead. And she has young children in her house.

Oh well, When you put it like that, only 4 children mauled to death by a dog.
Who cares about them. The right of people to own a dog that can tear a child apart is WAY more important.

Tell me @primrosesanddaisies how many do you need that number to be before you give a shit

ALL dogs need to be under control in public.
That is already the law.
Enforce that.
Then no need for banning or always on leads or muzzles.
I wish the government would tackle irresponsible breeders and owners who don’t take responsibility.
And just because a dog doesn’t have the potential to fatally maul you doesn’t mean it’s ok if it’s out of control.

@Frequency
They weren't bred to be safe to handlers, some of the pitbulls that were used for fighting had human aggression in their lines, Colby's (the man who created the APBT, which bullies are related to) own nephew was killed by some of his own dogs. Most pitbulls used for dog fighting are kept on chains and fed and conditioned, so the things that would make them snap while living in the home aren't proofed and they therefore wouldn't be culled because they'd never know that a dog they kept on a chain would be triggered by a toddler giggling, someone using a hoover, a postman coming to the door or someone walking past them on the street or any other normal household noises or external stimulu that are known to make pitbulls and XL bullies snap because they weren't around it. They were also unlikely to be culled for biting while being separated, or before a fight, they'd be culled for having focus on anything other than the dog they were facing and not being game enough.

The APBT is not a traditional bullbaiting dog. They may have been used for dog fighting in more modern times but they were (before Colby's time) originally bred for hunting and herding feral livestock.

Colby did not create them. They actually originated from Ireland. What he did was popularise them and develop a famous, champion line that still continues today.

The traditional bullbaiting dogs are English Bulldogs, Bull Terriers (like the Staffy), and Spanish Bulldogs among other breeds. APBT are relatively modern breeds in comparison.

Regardless, it only takes a few generations to breed out (or in) certain traits such as dog-on-dog aggression. The show lines of these breeds are perfectly safe. It's the dogs bred in backyards and sold on Gumtree that have suffered poor breeding practices.

Posting a couple of relevant links...

An insight into the kind of owners / breeders of these dogs by the Mum of Jack Lis

medium.com/@EmmaW-JackLisLaw/the-owners-and-the-court-case-f53722f95824

An account that keeps track of XL Bully / American Bully attacks...up to something like 343 so far this year...

x.com/bullywatchuk?s=21&t=-FUMR9T7eQEh3g6cuvXkOA

What I don’t think some people are getting is that it’s not that any dog can bite, as that is true but these bully breeds pack a serious punch with the sheer strength of their jaws that it’s equivalent is not far off a tiger/lion.

Surely the problem with banning this "breed" is that the morons who own them will just move on to another breed. There are plenty of large dog breeds out there that have the potential to do a lot of harm with the wrong owners.

These "pitbull types" or "XL bullies" or whatever they are calling them now aren't all KC registered. It seems to be a term used in the media more than anything.

At that raises another issue. How do you ban these types of dogs if you can't easily test for which breed they are?

Three of these dogs have attacked a Labrador this weekend, it has since died from its injuries this evening. The lab was 11 years old.

The video of the 11 year old girl today being mauled and the passers by that intervened was just horrific to watch. It was hit by a spade to distract it 😳, I’m surprised it didn’t attack the spade as well.

I don’t hold out much hope on them getting banned anytime soon. Suella hasn’t a great track record in seeing anything through, unfortunately.

Ban XL Bully’s petition is on gov.uk if anyone wants to add a signature. (Not my petition but I have signed it)

Thank you for posting those links. Jack Lisa's mother is very dignified.
One of the nasty things about the lack of action on these dogs is who they attack and where. If you had middle class kids being eaten by these bloody revolting things the legislation to ban them would be drafted within a week. Get on it Suella.

Interesting that the op only posted their original post.

I suspect if anything does come in to force I suspect it will be something like for all to be registered, neutered/spayed to stop any further breeding and muzzled in public.

I'm clearly suspecting a lot 😂 shouldn't type when I'm tired but can't sleep lol