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

I wouldn't loose the house over it. But it is something i would watch for, the same as i would any big dog around my kids.

Do your kids know not to go over to strange dogs to stroke or play with them.

Yes, i would look at securing your garden to keep your cat in your own garden - ( although i think this should be the case for all cats 🫣)

The cat especially needs keeping in his or her own garden - trellis doesn't keep cats out, @Mayxo - my friend worked with a vet who had six cats - the garden was walled, but they had angled wires facing inwards to keep the cats in - You don't want your cat getting into this neighbour's garden.

I have strong fencing in my garden over 2 metres tall, and cats easily get in and out.
'plastic small spikes' {sold in strips for keeping cats out} don't work - only angled wires can reliably keep them in.

https://purrfectfence.co.uk/#:~:text=fect%20Cat%20Fence%20is%20the,to%20make%20it%20cat%2Dproof.

Actually greyhounds and other sighthounds are bred to chase and often kill small animals including cats. Yet nobody is suggesting they can’t make a suitable family pets. They aren’t the only ones, deerhounds, foxhounds, Jack russels.. are all bred to kill.

You are very wrong. Pit bulls have the same history as the staffie except there is an emphasis on dog fighting. Pit bulls would be used to fight other pit bulls (not people), but fortunately this blood sport is no longer considered acceptable by the wider public. If a dog bites a handler it would be put down, they were never bred to be aggressive to people. It’s the same deal as the sight hounds or hunting dogs. Which part of this do you not understand?

I know. It really is. People coming on here and proclaiming that they hate an animal that hasn’t harmed anybody. It’s horrible.

It’s ironic because you are probably safer living next to an exempt XL than any other large breed of dog because every time you encounter them they will be leashed and muzzled.

@oakleaffy
Would these work?

The issue we have is that the tall trees are at the back with no fence, so we wonder if he will somehow go through the trees and end up at the back of their fence. We need to double-check.

Are you seriously cat proofing your garden because of the XL? An average cat could out run an XL any day of the week. Your cat is more at risk from the road outside your house depending on how busy it is. I have cat proofed my garden to keep my three cats in using protect-a-pet because we are on a busy road. If it was quiet I wouldn’t have bothered.

Lovely photo and that XL looks well drained of energy and responsibly looked after.

This is a good point of note. An ex police dog trainer and I were talking about the XL Bully issue a few months back and he commented that he'd noticed it was usually a male dog involved in human aggression. I've not seen any stats to back this up, but I agree with him.

@Open24 Yes, I am seriously considering cat-proofing my bloody garden. And like you, we will be on a busy road as we will be living near town in Buckingham by the main road.

@Open24 So regardless, I don't think it's a bad idea to do so.

You can order the stuff from protect-a-pet for self installation, or hire them to come out and fit it for you. The latter is a lot more expensive. They can work with trees by using a tree guard and attaching it to the fence. I could send you a photo of how we have done ours if you think it would be helpful? Good luck.

"Now, I am a strong believer that owners are the reason for badly behaved dogs."

It's genetics. Some owners get a calm mild mannered dog, treat it terribly and it remains gentle and friendly. Some get a crazy, nervous, aggressive dog, treat it well and it will attack. There's a reason certain breeds kill and kill again and others don't cause any bother and it is not because the owners of one breed are all a shower of bastards and the owners of the other breed are all saints.

I wouldn't be happy either but I would make sure the fences were suitably high and very sturdy. As far as the cat is concerned, I really like cats, but for their safety (roads as well as dogs) and that of birds etc I would never let it loose so would install a catio for it.

No amount of fencing will keep a cat in your garden unless you get that kind that looks like what you have on a prison building. Do you really want your garden to look like that?

I wouldn’t move next door to an XL Bully, never mind with my children. I would be asking the HA about it and explain your concerns. I realise this is a life changing move for you but if you are going to be on edge the whole time about the dog you won’t enjoy living there.

If you really can’t turn the house down then I suggest you go and have a chat with the owner about how he manages the dog and whether it is allowed free run of the garden.

Don't put off the move OP. It sounds ideal for your family. You must have gone through so much stress the last few years. Make the garden as safe as possible. It's great your fil wants to help do that. Get the garden sorted for the cat. Enjoy your new home. Like you say you could turn this down but end up being offered something awful if you ever get to the top of the list again x

@WingingItSince1973 Thank you for your kind post means alot in this stressful time xx

Just because of the breed doesn't mean it's going to automatically savage your cat, any dog could do this if they were so inclined be it collie, jack Russell, Staffie, Alsatian... Your cat will likely get barked at once and never jump that fence again. Like you say the owners determine the nature of the dog and based on that and their description, and also open statement as to having an XL bully given the judgement and honestly potential risk to their dog makes me think they're decent people, following the new law, and have a trained dog. If they had a violent banned breed I'd safely assume they wouldn't just openly tell you they even owned this breed. I think they're trying to mitigate any judgement in the hopes you'll feel safe and confident they own a nice dog, I can imagine many owners have had dogs reported on and they'll be trying to avoid that.

Some of the comments on here are wildly uneducated and ignorant. To add to my previous post I would continue with the move, and when you do move, speak to them and explain you have a cat and children etc. Tbh I'd even be asking to meet said dog if they're comfortable with it, with any neighbouring dog I would rather be a known person than a stranger.

Your more than welcome. I know how rare good council housing is as my poor dd and dgs having to private rent with all the stress being under a bad landlord entails. I wish we never moved out of our HA house now to buy our own ex council house as we are struggling too with the rising cost of mortgages etc. But anyway there's so many things you can do to give you peace of mind. Hope the move goes well and all the best for a more stress free future xxx

Was this house in Warrington?

I'd move in.

Make the fence secure (if not already).

Don't let your child into their house to play - if the kids become friends then they play at yours.

The cat is a red herring I think - because so many breeds of dogs are a danger to a cat so it's part of the risk you take anywhere when you let them out. Of the six gardens around me, at least three would be unsafe for a cat. But a cat is usually pretty quick and quick witted.