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

People who are attracted to owning this breed are usually a certain kind of person, we all know what I mean. Such people don’t give a shit about anything but looking tough with their dog and so don’t care much about training and minimising the risk owning such a dog entails. There’s a man in my area who walks two - one un-neutered male and a female, both off lead, even on busy streets. Why do that? Because it’s all performative and the dogs and other peoples welfare is the last thing on their mind.

As I left my local park the other day a woman was coming in and she said “is it safe in there, did you see any bully breeds?” She’d have left if I said I had and it made me think about how my stomach lurches with fear if I see one and I will change my route or leave. They control any environment they’re in and I would fully support a complete ban.

Presumably those dogs that already exist would either have to be neutered, chipped, licensed and muzzled in public, or confiscated and PTS.

And since there is no record of who owns them because there is currently no licencing scheme, that might present a few logistical problems.

Dog licensing definitely needs to be re-imposed, for everyone's safety.

These dogs are extremely strong, much more so than other even larger dogs.

I have always been a dog person but honestly I am terrified of these aggressive dogs that take numerous adult men to subdue and even then we are lucky if everyone makes it out alive.

I don't know how the "it's not the dogs" people can ignore this aspect of it. The damage they are capable doing does matter. It's the reason I am ok with the neighbours cat roaming the streets but not so much a tiger.

If a chihuahua attacks my DS I am pretty confident that I can kick it, restrain it, kill it if I need to. If one of these dogs attacks we could easily both end up dead.

I think that breeding/selling of them needs to be banned, all of the ones that exist need to be registered and they should have to wear muzzles out in public. Hell if we have to muzzle all dogs in public to make it fair then fine.

Parliamentary petition to ban them, signed

Here https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/642809

There is no legitimate reason to own a dog like that.

@Frequency I suspect exactly 0% of this demographic gravitate towards this breed, so moot point really.

The thing is 100% of this demographic have children and 100% of this demographic want these attacks to stop.

Banning this crossbreed is going to have exactly the same impact as banning the pitbull crosses did on dog attacks which is none at all. Dog attacks are rising steadily and have been rising steadily since well before we banned a dog based on a set of arbitrary measurements.

I fully understand that these dogs are physically stronger and heavier than a lot of other breeds but even if we banned them all - even if we banned everything but toy breeds - idiots who want big bad dogs know that if they take the biggest baddest chihuahua they can find and breed it with the next biggest baddest chihuahua they can find they will, within a few generations, end up with a dog that is significantly bigger than a regular chihuahua and more aggressive.

They don't understand the science behind it, looking at the state of some of them around here I doubt they fully understand how to find their own arsehole, but they know breeding two big bad dogs equals big bad baby dogs.

It actually only takes about 6 generations of this type of selective breeding before you end up with something that looks nothing like the breed you started with. Obviously, it will take more than 6 generations to breed a Chi that is the size of a pitbull but it is possible and they can do this with all breeds no matter how fluffy and family-friendly the original breed is. And they will do it because they are idiots who need an aggressive animal to make them feel hard.

The only way to reduce attacks is to reduce the number of idiots who own dogs via dog licensing and controlled breeding.

@Frequency

My husky has been bred to pull sleds, his natural pulling ability means that he can also pull bikes aswell as me when I strap the lead around my waist. He doesn’t differentiate.

Collies bred for herding sheep also heard people. They don’t differentiate.

Dogs can and actually do differentiate. When was the last time you saw a greyhound chasing a grown man through the park because it thought he was a rabbit?

Bullbreeds are well aware that toddlers are neither bulls nor dogs. If they behave aggressively towards children it is not because they have mistook the child for a bull it is due to lack of socialization, lack of stimulation, lack of training, and poor breeding (in that order).

And again, it takes around 6 generations (see the Silver Fox study) to make an inbred behavioral trait extinct. I doubt anyone at Crufts has been breeding their staffy to attack bulls or children.

@Frequency

i hear what you are saying about banning and how it may not work, but what do you propose ? Breeding licenses? What about all the monstrosities that have already been bred ? Doesn’t even matter if they always have a muzzle on in public, some will escape at some point and kill again.

I'm not a legislator, or a politician but I would start by banning the sale of live animals unless they are bred from registered, licensed breeding stock. I would ensure that every dog licensed to breed undergoes thorough behavioral and health assessments prior to allowing them to breed and every potential breeder should be assessed to ensure they are breeding to improve the health and welfare of their chosen breed and not for profit.

Litters born "accidentally" should be surrendered to rescues.

Regarding the dogs in existence now, I'm fairly confident most of them will pts within a few years because they are, sadly, owned by tossers, and due to the fact that they are not a breed no more would be bred under the above scheme.

I’ve just been reading the news links and watching the footage (whilst awake with 8 day old baby)

it is terrifying. I feel sick to the stomach.

the difference is a dachshund on a lead can be restrained by the owner. It can also be removed, training will resolve biting etc.

These bully dogs are bred for years to fight. They have a switch, they will drag owners on leads across parks and savage dogs or children. You then cannot pull them off because they have a locking jaw and weigh so much.

I have seen four or five recently in west London whilst walking my small dog and toddler. Two off lead. One on lead but we came face to face with it on the corner.

irs terrifying. The owners say “ah don’t worry love he’s friendly”.

One is muzzled as it isn’t friendly but is walked in the streets where our kids do the school run!

there won’t ever be. But there should be licensing on dog ownership.

Sorry if this upsets you OP, but I don't expect it to happen, at least from this government. They are all talk but no action.

Much as I would like it to happen.

Absolutely terrifying.
I saw one up close for the first time last week - it was off lead, and came over to me and my Cockapoo. Mine is very sociable and went up to sniff it and say hello, and I was terrified, had to stand stock still, even though I wanted to grab my dog and run.

It moved away, and literally seconds later, the next dog it interacted with, it went for, with us just a metre or two away.
Its owner tried to drag it off the other dog, then beat it with her stick.
It did stop, but we were walking away very quickly by then!

Dogs can and actually do differentiate. When was the last time you saw a greyhound chasing a grown man through the park because it thought he was a rabbit?

Exactly, yet look at the animal in the video and it is doing precisely that, tearing through the area to find a human to attack

Those who don’t mind the breed would you choose this breed or another to run at you or your dc

The people who own these dogs will simply move on to another breed.

Yup, I think the canine corso and Belgian malinois are both becoming more popular, both have the capacity to cause significant injury or death.

I do think we need to find a way of preventing irresponsible twats from owning any dog.

Muzzles in public are obviously good but the vast majority of deaths have happened in the home.
It beggars belief that idiots have these monsters in their homes with their children!

Personally I'd like to see the idea of dog owner licences being brought back, looked at.

Linked to getting a licence is the requirement to undergo an amount of training and pass a competency test showing you have a basic understanding of the animal you want to own. Their needs, psychology and how to take care of them and keep them safe as well as everyone else.

Maybe with a class element so it is easier to get a license to own dogs under 10kg and much harder to get qualified for dogs over 40kg - or something like that.

75% of dog attacks are caused by these xl bullies in the ladt couple of years. That speaks for itself. On news this morning. Should be banned. Too strong for most people and too reactive . When they bite they cause greater damage compared to another smaller breed. If they are banned, what happens to the ones already owned? A local person to me had his pet terrier killed by an xl bully. He said the dog pulled his owner across a field to get to his dog. She had no control. The cost was £5k and eventually the poor dog got put down. Owner blamed him saying he should've ran away!! She got a letter from the police saying her dog should be muzzled in public...she's ignored this
She walks the dog on kids playing fields. Can you imagine what could happen. Local parents have had to stop their children going there because she can't control her dog.

I agree that there is scope for dog licencing to help and neighbours could report dogs and licences checked etc. However I think it would just encourage owners of dangerous breeds to keep them hidden away leading to even more cruelty, neglect and unsocialised dogs.

The people who really need to be targeted are the breeders. With strict licensing for breeding of ANY breed and heavy penalties for breeding dangerous types. The government has completely lost control of the issue of dogs in this country, there are far, far too many living in inappropriate situations. I say that as a dog lover and owner myself.

Good. I love dogs, and have never understood people's fear of dogs, until I met an XL Bully. I must admit they really do make me nervous. Even more so when you can tell the owner cannot control it on a lead, let alone if anything were to happen!!

I saw a video the other day by a dog trainer wanting a) the dogs banned and b) asking people to reconsider the trend for harnesses for big dogs.

It's pretty universal that people think choke chains are cruel but he was saying with these big, strong dogs they're the only chance an owner has to pull them off if they are attacking a human or another dog.

I see his point. I've seen even beefy looking men be unable to pull back a big dog in a harness.

An extended family member sent me a video of his just started to walk toddler sitting on the lounge floor while his friends giant cane corso was licking the baby.

He thought it was demonstrating how well-trained and gentle the dog is. I think it demonstrates he and his friend (and the DCs Mum who was there too) are twats.

Okay but it's not a recognised breed is it? You won't find the bully XL at the Kennel club.

The people who own them are twats who like scaring people. So many stories of horrible death with these dogs. Favoured by drug dealers and macho dicks. If they do this, all these animals should be destroyed. No fucking compensation either

Also; they are often homed in places where the owner does not live. Any dangerous dog on the list and the XL should be banned from any public housing and if you have one or these dogs you lose your tenancy.

There are some very stupid women out there who store these dogs for men they are seeing, basically because he doesn't want a fixed address. Well that tells you how responsible they are

The majority of dog attacks this year have been from bully breeds, especially the American Bully XL. You'd be crazy to say a bite from a Dachshund would create the same injuries as a bite from a Bully XL.