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Original poster

Neighbours have an XL Bully dog

146 replies

Mayxo · 15/03/2024 12:43

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

OP posts:
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5
CactusClaire · 15/03/2024 16:32

in your situation, i would take the house but make sure i made that fence side so bloody secure. Crikey, those dog scare me so much

dolskarella · 15/03/2024 16:46

I just wouldn't risk it. I'd rather go back in the list than have years of worrying. It only takes that one time

newnamethanks · 15/03/2024 16:48

Grr. My neighbour has just bought an Akita. He has 2 young children, no garden, and I've got a yappy, reactive terrier. I foresee trouble but what can you do.

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Dogs
Bostoncremecolor · 15/03/2024 16:49

Honestly, I am freaking out going to parks because there is one near by. I could never ever relax in my own home if there was one next door.

I could never use the garden - it is all very well saying it is friendly, wouldn't hurt a fly etc but I am pretty sure all owners say that until that one time it does go for someone. I wouldn't risk it with my child - i could never forgive myself if something happened.

TMBMTL · 15/03/2024 16:50

I would want a wall built around the garden rather than a fence, and they can cost 1000s. I would be worried about your child and cat. I would rather buy a different house because your child and cat are irreplaceable. To me these XL bullies might as well be tigers on a lead. I wouldn’t buy a house next to a roaming tiger, so I wouldn’t buy a house next to an XL bully.

Moveoverdarlin · 15/03/2024 16:53

Open24 · 15/03/2024 14:17

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.

Edited

It absolutely doesn’t need to be roaming the street. A couple of months ago there was a story in the national press about a granny visiting her grandson who had lost his Mother (her daughter). She was staying for the weekend and the Father’s XL Bully, killed the granny. They were just at home. The poor little boy lost his mother and granny in quick succession. She was a lady in her 60s / 70s so it’s highly unlikely she would have been antagonising the dog. When the father bought the dog, she told him she had concerns, he ignored her.

TequilaNights · 15/03/2024 16:54

I have 1 XL one side and 3 the other, no different than any other dog, soppy lovable playful things, just with deeper barks, the 1 is in her teens, been here forever and even after the ban didn't turn into a killing machine.

I have 4 cats, never had one eaten by a rouge Xl yet, and not had any do a shawshank into my garden and eat my children or any other child in my garden either.

I say this as someone who agrees with the ban, unfortunately due to owners, not the breed itself (please read this post as tongue in cheek)

Hope you make many happy memories in your new home.

Moveoverdarlin · 15/03/2024 16:57

I wouldn’t move there in a million years.

TequilaNights · 15/03/2024 16:58

newnamethanks · 15/03/2024 16:48

Grr. My neighbour has just bought an Akita. He has 2 young children, no garden, and I've got a yappy, reactive terrier. I foresee trouble but what can you do.

Id rather an XL than an Akita and id never have one around kids, eesh no no no no, hope your wrong with your predictions

KomodoOhno · 15/03/2024 16:58

I don't blame you one bit. I know they say bad owners are to blame but I think those dogs are just wired wrong

Megifer · 15/03/2024 17:02

Yea honestly op enjoy your home and maybe don't come back to the thread as its just going to get full of posts trying to out-angst the previous one.

You need a home, and theres no guarantee your next one offered, thats if you are offered another one, wont have a similar size dog.

The neighbours seem nice if they made an effort to chat to you and their garden looks decent so they are more likely to be one of the decent owners. I agree id be a bit worried about puss but id be worried about any dog. Do what you can to reduce the small risk of the dog jumping over etc to help you feel better and I reckon after a few weeks you'll wonder why you were worried.

WinterMorn · 15/03/2024 17:04

Going with Open24 here….I also think you are being way OTT. This wouldn’t bother me in the slightest. You have absolutely no control over what neighbours, friends or even family members might do in the future, so just get on with your life and go about your business.

PleaseletitbeSpring · 15/03/2024 17:05

Of course you have to take the house. You really don't have a choice. I live by a lot of social housing and it's run by a housing association. They won't allow XL Bullies. Tenants can be evicted for having one. What's your HA policy?

HesterPrincess · 15/03/2024 17:15

Can you contact the housing officer that covers this area and explain your concerns? My DD rents through a local HA and their housing officer is brilliant - she has his mobile phone number and he's very reactive to complaints/concerns.

I have to be honest, it would enough to make me question living next door to them. No dog is 100% trustworthy and I say that as a dog owner myself.

Mischance · 15/03/2024 17:18

It is an option to pull out - it is far from ideal and not what you would have chosen, but what will it be like if you cannot let your child play in the garden without constant vigilance? Sounds like a nightmare to me. Years of nightmare .....

Ihatethenewlook · 15/03/2024 17:18

Megifer · 15/03/2024 15:54

What will you do if you see this stranger?

Show quote history

I’ve found him, got his address and made a police report. Another neighbour made a report about him a couple of days ago, as they were walking their dogs past his house the dogs jumped over the front garden wall and tried to attack them. There’s a property on the road where he went for my little boy with cctv pointing in the right area. The owners apparently won’t be home for another hour or so so I’ll knock around then

Ihatethenewlook · 15/03/2024 17:21

The man’s in his 60’s and the dogs 11 months and already fucking huge. When confronted after my neighbours attack he responsed ‘well he was only trying to protect the house’. My neighbour was on the other side of the street and didn’t even know he was there until he was charging at her. That’s aggression, not protection

PavoReal · 15/03/2024 17:23

I am in a similar situation. I have 2 children and a cat and we live next door to a young female XL Bully. You wouldn’t even know she was there. The only time you hear her is when he gets the lawnmower out and she goes a bit nuts.
He told me they get so much abuse when they walk her, obviously muzzled. They now either walk her at 5am or drive a few miles out to a more peaceful area. I used to give her a fuss pre muzzle, she is a sweet dog but I wouldn’t want to offer to feed her or pop in to keep her company or such neighbourly favours. Not that they have asked.

LightSwerve · 15/03/2024 17:27

Mayxo · 15/03/2024 13:57

@Riverhousepuppy to be totally honest, we lost our business, which resulted in us losing our house so we went the council route and got given a social house, we are quite lucky it's a nice street and large 3 bed house. We could pull out but we would be at the bottom of the list and would have to wait over a year again, we cant afford the rent at the moment its too expensive, Buckinghamshire high demand sadly so its kinda not an option for us to pull out

If they are tenants of the council too you will have somewhere to go if there are issues.

Hopefully all will be ok if they're following the rules. If they're not you'll at least be able to report - unlike with a badly controlled dog of other breeds..

Megifer · 15/03/2024 17:30

Ihatethenewlook · 15/03/2024 17:18

I’ve found him, got his address and made a police report. Another neighbour made a report about him a couple of days ago, as they were walking their dogs past his house the dogs jumped over the front garden wall and tried to attack them. There’s a property on the road where he went for my little boy with cctv pointing in the right area. The owners apparently won’t be home for another hour or so so I’ll knock around then

Show quote history

Thats so lucky, how on earth did they stop the attack?

Don't be surprised if your neighbour is a little reluctant re: cctv sharing. AFAIK home cctv shouldn't capture public areas and if it does its potentially under GDPR and if the guy wants to cause reciprocal trouble he could go to the ICO.

Fallenangelofthenorth · 15/03/2024 17:30

I can't believe people are advising you to risk homelessness over a dog. Please don't do that @Mayxo, that would be ridiculous and a lot more dangerous than living next door to a large dog.

MiserableMarch · 15/03/2024 17:34

Op you say you belive it's down to owners how dog is but unfortunately with xl bully it's been a researched to the high heavens by experts and specialists with PhD etc and years experience of dog behaviour... that they are prey drive dogs who don't let go when they get something. It's very little to do with the owners although of course bad owners make it worse.

I would buy some protection eg sprays and always have it to hand. I would also get fhe best fencing I could
...

tabulahrasa · 15/03/2024 17:34

Moveoverdarlin · 15/03/2024 16:53

It absolutely doesn’t need to be roaming the street. A couple of months ago there was a story in the national press about a granny visiting her grandson who had lost his Mother (her daughter). She was staying for the weekend and the Father’s XL Bully, killed the granny. They were just at home. The poor little boy lost his mother and granny in quick succession. She was a lady in her 60s / 70s so it’s highly unlikely she would have been antagonising the dog. When the father bought the dog, she told him she had concerns, he ignored her.

Show quote history

The man who owned the dogs was breeding them in a shed in his back garden, got stuck with a half grown litter because of the ban, went out and left her with multiple dogs and she was using a broom to separate them because they were fighting each other.

Horrific for her, beyond tragic for her grandson, but entirely the fault of the man keeping dogs in shitty conditions and clearly not treating them well if her reaction to a fight was to grab a broom, I assume that was either normal or she’d been told to do that because that wouldn’t be most people’s first reaction.

Brawcolli · 15/03/2024 18:43

TequilaNights · 15/03/2024 16:54

I have 1 XL one side and 3 the other, no different than any other dog, soppy lovable playful things, just with deeper barks, the 1 is in her teens, been here forever and even after the ban didn't turn into a killing machine.

I have 4 cats, never had one eaten by a rouge Xl yet, and not had any do a shawshank into my garden and eat my children or any other child in my garden either.

I say this as someone who agrees with the ban, unfortunately due to owners, not the breed itself (please read this post as tongue in cheek)

Hope you make many happy memories in your new home.

Nope- it is the breed itself, not the owners. So many stories of bullies being ‘soppy loveable playful things’ until they kill someone.

oakleaffy · 15/03/2024 18:43

RightOnTheEdge · 15/03/2024 13:22

The trouble is they are fine around kids until they're not.
It's a really difficult one. Is there a big secure fence around the garden?

If they are responsible owners, the dog should be muzzled anyway.

@Mayxo It won't be muzzled in it's own garden.

These XL 's are bred from Pit Bulls, and as such can ''flip'' without any warning.

I'd absolutely not be wanting to live there.

The ''It's the owners'' doesn't stop a dog attacking.

XL's are bred from Pitbulls and they are prone to sudden aggression.

XL Bullies have been ''nice''...one was the pet of a little girl, Mia Derouen, until it killed her...she was just watching TV.

They are so powerful that they are hard to get off as well if they do attack.

A cat is a serious concern, as cats do go into neighbour's gardens.

'' The problem with the XL Bullies their aggression is not related to socialisation, though that can exacerbate the problem. The real concern is their powerful genetic disposition for predatory and reactive aggression. These dogs were bred to fight and attack.''