Neighbours have an XL Bully dog

[Mayxo]

Hello there,

I wanted some advice as I have a little concern.

My husband, our two children, and I are moving to our new home within two months. We went over to view it and we bumped into our soon-to-be next-door neighbors. They were very kind, told us about the street, parking and things but they did say they have an XL Bully. They said she's lovely and would lick you all over, etc.

Now, I am a strong believer that owners are the reason for badly behaved dogs. Judging by how they were with us, they seemed so lovely that I doubt they would treat their dog badly. But I can't help but worry about my children playing in the garden. What if she digs under or jumps over the fence? Not to mention we have a rescue cat. He's only two years old, so I fear he will jump over and get hurt or worse.

I know I may seem like I'm overreacting. It's just that you hear so many stories; it worries me.

Is there any way I can make my garden safer on a very low budget? It would be much appreciated if someone could help me and give me some ideas xx

unless it’s going to be roaming the streets unsupervised then you are being ridiculous. A neighbour’s spaniel killed my cat. Yes, a bloody spaniel with rubbish irresponsible owners. I have a staffie who couldn’t care less about cats and all the XL’s I’ve met have next to no prey drive. Your cat is more at risk of getting run over (God forrbid). How high is the fence? If it’s over five foot it won’t jump it and it’s not going to dig underneath either.. stop being hysterical. You could move anywhere with an aggressive dog, or a neighbour could get a reactive dog tomorrow, all that matters is that they are responsible owners.

This isn’t true.

@Open24 Oh here we go, no I am not being ridiculous or hysterical. I have read online that they can jump and dig under fences, so that has made me concerned about my children's safety and my cat. It doesn't make me ridiculous; it makes me a responsible parent who cares about their safety. As you probably know about xl bully's they are known for their behaviour and how they can just turn, not saying all but alot can for no reason. I don't know these people or how their dog is, so far they are lovely but time will tell. When your going to live next door to a dog who has just been banned in the UK and has killed many people you kinda think shit..😳 but wouldn't anyone? I wouldn't mind making the garden a little safer for a piece of mind, if I was being hysterical I would of turned the house down right away no questions asked even if it buggers our situation I would of said no. Just a little worrying that is all, and to answer your question I think the fence is 5ft tall.

Sounds extremely worrying. Your new neighbours are both incredibly stupid (because no intelligent person would have an XL bully and a child in the same home) and in possession of a lethal dog, a very worrisome combination.

I would want to reassure myself that the situation wasn’t so bad, so I understand why you said it but but please don’t think for a moment that the dog must be fine with kids based on the fact that it’s currently living with a child. All that means is that the dog hasn’t attacked yet; it doesn’t mean that it won’t do so in the future. Any dog can turn without warning but if an XL bully turns on you then you pretty much have no chance.

They said she's lovely and would lick you all over, etc.

Ahh. The irresponsible dog owners choice of phrase. Every irresponsible dog owner ever says 'my dog is lovely' (or some variation there of). And every irresponsible bully owner says 'my dog just loves children/he's a nanny dog/wouldnt hurt a fly,' until it does.

Sex makes no difference. Bitches are just as capable of ripping the throat out of a small child as a dog is. The fact is, XL Bullies are strong - a fence is not going to stop them. They have burst through fences before and attacked children. It has taken 2/3 full grown men to pull them off people before.

On the other hand, I have met incredibly aggressive dogs of all breeds (from Goldens/cockers/GSDs/collies). BUT, what differentiates them is that the average woman/men can easily wrestle a GSD/Collie/Golden under control. The average person cannot control an XL bully. And XL bullies are more pre-disposed to aggression (in part because of the sort of scum person that owns them).

I wouldn't touch the house if I had a choice. But ultimately, it sounds like you have no choice. I would suggest you cat proof your garden (or, tbh make your cat a house cat) and be wary and watch the fence for signs of damage.

I really think mumsnet is the wrong place to ask about this as there is often an anti-dog sentiment in general and all of the XL bully threads have had levels of hysteria.

I can understand why you'd be anxious about it, but the odds of anything happening with the dog is tiny, and the odds of that happening to you or your family are smaller again. An XL bully that's kept as a pet with a nice family is probably going to be like an overgrown staffie.

I have a neighbour who got an XL bully for security and it's awful, the poor dog has had its ears cropped (illegal in Europe) and is never walked, she wouldn't be able for it. That concerns me more, because it's not socialised etc. and I have to say, I really do get your anxiety as I pass by the house daily with my own dog and baby, and early on I felt wary. Most of these dogs are just dogs though, not monsters.

It's always "the loving family dog who has never done anything like this before" who eats a baby...

I absolutely hate those dogs and am scared shitless of them.

Saying stuff like this is just going to make the OP more anxious though. Her child isn't going to get eaten.

I'd pull out, it's just not worth it

I completely understand why you are taking the house and sorry to hear you have had such a tough time. I would work out the rules with your child about where they play ie they don't play at the neighbours. The vast majority of dogs are fine but follow your instinct and put in safeguards.
My dog is great with my older children but the rule is they don't have their friends round unless an adult is here too. They could be playing and the dog gets excited and starts jumping up, i would read the situation and understand it isn't aggression but excitement but could be read as such and excitement in dogs can escalate and I don't want any child hurt by my dog jumping. A scratch from a big dog can hurt. It's my responsibility to safeguard my children and my dog.
So big strong fence, strong boundaries with your child which are strictly enforced especially when you get more comfortable there as that is when slips happen. The vast majority of dogs are fine and the cat will avoid dog gardens. My dog doesn't mind our cats in the garden at all but will chase any others out ASAP.

I’m not disagreeing with your overall point but I have owned both GSD and Collies and have attempted to wrestle them both under non child mauling circumstances, it is practically impossible. The GSD took 3 adults to manhandle into the vets and the collie two.

If those breeds had the temperament to kick off massively there is not much you could do to stop them believe me.

I think it’s natural to be worried after everything that’s happened with XL bullies. In terms of danger to your cat, I’m not sure if this is higher than with many other breeds. We have a whippet and while she is good as gold around kids and other dogs, if a cat came into our garden and she was out there chilling then she’d be chasing it in a second. It’s prey drive, not lack of training, she’s very well behaved on walks. But if she is off her lead in her own garden then any smaller furry animal would look like prey to her. In the same way smaller furry animals like mice look like prey to cats! In your situation I’d keep the cat inside to be on the safe side.

In terms of danger to your child I would definitely not want my child in a house with an XL bully, so wouldn’t encourage a friendship with their son.

That might be good practice, and possibly ought to be the law, but as yet, it's not. If you know any dogs which are subject to such conditions, it's because the owners have already been taken to court and the court has made an order specifying measures that have to be taken, as an alternative to destroying the dog.

There are various things you can do to your fences to try to contain your cat within your garden. Protect a Pet has been mentioned, Katzecure is another. Don’t make your cat a house cat - it would be really cruel if it’s used to going outside. Catios are not much better - they’re just never big enough.

At the very least you need to make sure the cat knows there’s a big dog next door. Take the cat outside, under supervision, when the dog is in the next door garden and let the cat see it. It is then less likely to wander over there. Even better if the dog is barky - that will be a good deterrent.

Child-wise, you’ll have to make sure your child never goes next door. This could be tricky if they’ve got a kid the same age and they’re friendly, but reasonable people should understand your wariness and be ok with their kid coming round to yours instead.

“ I have read online that they can jump and dig under fences”

Well yes, they’re dogs, dogs can jump and dig...

If your cat isn’t used to living next to a dog, I would catproof your fencing do it can’t get out.

Other than that... there’s not a whole lot you can do and probably not much need to, if it was going to get out of the garden there’s no reason it’d suddenly be doing it because you’re there, and most people are with their dogs in the garden, not just leaving them to dig under fences.

You can firmly believe it’s owner and not breed, but you’d be wrong.

I am certain there are terrible Labrador owners out there, but labs aren’t on the news for ripping apart animals and humans.

I am a huge dog lover, but these dogs are wired differently. They are fine until they are not, and when they turn you haven’t got a hope in hell of getting them off an adult, never mind a child. I wouldn’t have my kids anywhere near them.

Try not to worry op, it sounds like theres nothing you can do except secure your garden if needed. Try to remember that the vast vast majority of these dogs are absolutely fine.

@Mayxo There is so much hysteria surrounding these dogs. Have you ever met an XL? They are bloody huge, they can’t jump that high and it would take hours to dig a hole big enough to squeeze under a fence! Why on earth would the dog want to do that when it can just laze about in the sun or on a cosy bed? The media have hyped these dogs up to be supernatural. It’s a farce. I would only worry if you were to enter their home because you don’t know the dog. In that case, just say you are wary of dogs and ask for it to be shut out. If they are nice neighbours they will understand. If they are responsible owners they will be complying with the stupid law because they don’t want their dog to be seized, hence if you encounter the dog out the house it will be leashed and muzzled so you have nothing to worry about.

If she's friendly it wouldn't worry me but the cat is a concern as they are, technically, terriers. They do have a prey drive. It's like greyhounds, something small and fast moving, they're after it before they even know they've moved.

I detest these dogs however you just never know what/who will end up next door to you. All dogs can jump fences (well depending on size) and dig under them. My collies would I assume attack your cat given the lengths they go to when one passes the house. As such invest in secure fencing for your property- that’s about all you can do. A passing dog can do any of the things you’re worried about.

Ones just went for my little boy in the street when we were coming home from school, full on lunging and snarling at him when he went past on his bike 😡😡 no muzzle on and a huge lead. I looked at the fella as he pulled him away and he said oh he’s only a baby and he was just saying hello 😡😡 I’m fucking raging. I took a photo of him and waiting for oh to come home and I’ll be going out round the neighbourhood looking for him. We’re a close community and I’ve never seen him before. All bully owners are dickheads in my eyes at this point

I don't think you need to worry. She'll be neutered, which takes down aggressive behaviours, and she's a female. As long as they are following the law, ie muzzled outside and when travelling, and the fences are secure, then I don't see a problem. I would be more worried about having a lurcher next door with your cat. Many dogs are actually okay with cats - mine are, but might be territorial in their garden. You might need to keep your cat indoors if the neighbours have dogs of any breed.
One of the theories about XL Bullies is that they can carry a sudden rage gene. I've actually seen first hand the damage when they do carry this gene, but generally an average neutered female XL bully being walked muzzled out of the house is no threat whatsoever.

What will you do if you see this stranger?

No Xl can be trusted.

I don't think I could move there. I just googled 'can a cat escape an XL bully' and it pulled up a story of a cat being killed in a garden by a passing one that was off the lead. Shockingly, it was actually really close to my own street even though I wasn't looking for a local story.
I wouldn't want to restrict my cat's lives because they are happy roaming and they would be depressed suddenly having that taken away from them. I wouldn't want to live somewhere where I'd be nervous if my children were in the garden alone. I'd only be happy if I knew the dog wasn't ever in the garden unattended and couldn't escape the garden, but I don't see how you can know that when you've only met them once.