Neighbour’s XL Bully

[Dente]

My neighbour has one of these dogs, which to be fair I always on a lead, but I’m so bloody scared of it when I am out walking my dog. He says it’s friendly and our dogs have sniffed each other and he while on leads, but I just feel so uneasy. I feel that if he slipped and that dog got loose it would be such a danger to everyone around. The area I live in is mainly families with young children and I just can’t understand why someone would get this kind of dog?

I understand all dogs can be aggressive, but all dogs don’t have this power and muscle that means they can easily kill!

It is the dog owner's responsibility to ensure their dogs never bite anybody - no matter what the circumstances. If your dog is in anyway aggressive, it should be muzzled in public. I don't give the slightest shit if that impacts your ability to play with balls in the park or makes you sad.

You seem to be, yet another, irresponsible dog owner that seeks to shirk their responsibilities and blame the victims of their shitty dangerous dogs.

And... don't dog owners say that it's always the owner and not the animal? What does it say about you, as an owner, if your dog is aggressive?

No. If someone is told not to approach or touch a dog, it's not the owners fault if they do. Just as if a farmer has a bull in a field with a big sign saying "don't enter" it's still not his fault if some prat decides to climb over the gate.

You’ve seen a dog that calmly greets others and you’ve seen lots (as you live right next to it) go on a killing spree? Right.

@Wolfiefan
A wolfhound and an XL bully are worlds apart, bullies have an explosive preydrive and a very wide muscular chest and neck, wolfhounds are huge but docile and don't have as much power in the neck and chest. Bullies will also suddenly turn, it's in their genetics as their foundation is dog fighting breeds and molosser dogs, its a gamble whether the fighting lineage will show itself then there's no holding on or stopping them.

“It’s the owner, not the breed!” Has been trotted out a few times as well as people insisting XL bullies are gentle giants who wouldn’t hurt a fly, even when there are links to a horrendous story about a child being killed by one.

If breed has nothing to do with dog behaviour, then are different types of dogs are bred the way they were? It’s not just aesthetics.

Greyhounds were bred for chasing after prey. Corgis for herding cattle. Daschunds to hunt badgers, huskies to pull sleds. All of these breeds have traits which were selected for and mean those breeds have certain behaviours people should be aware of before they own them. Their looks give you a good idea of their original function.

I think a husky is a beautiful dog, I love them, the ones I’ve met have been adorable and well behaved, but I know I’ll never own one because I understand they come with traits which have been selected for by breeders for hundreds of generations that make them wholly unsuitable to my family’s lifestyle.

So… what traits were XL Bullies bred for? It wasn’t because they make lovely cuddly companions, or because they’re great in a team pulling a sled across snow. It’s not because they’re intelligent and easy to train or because they’re good at flushing game birds out, or because they are small enough to fit down a badger set.

These are dogs which have been specifically bred for fighting. They are selected for fearlessness, strength, tenacity, endurance and seemingly an ability to ignore pain.

A lot of the media stories about these dogs relate how they went from seemingly calm to attacking with no warning signs. This is because a dog which doesn’t display outward signs of stress, fear and aggression before it attacks, makes for a better attack dog.

They are also bred to ignore signs of submission in other dogs, because it wouldn’t make for a very “entertaining” fight if they stop as soon as the opponent shows it’s belly.

These are dogs that will go from sitting, seemingly quietly and calmly, to relentlessly attacking their targets in the blink of an eye. Even with an owner that is experienced and on the ball, they just switch so fast and are very difficult to get under control because of their size and strength. I’ve seen video of an XL Bully attack a huge horse pulling a wagon with people on it- it didn’t stop attacking the horse even when it had been kicked in the head by it several times.

There is no good reason to own one of these, there are hundreds of other breeds of dog out there, including big breeds with intimidating reputations, which are not bred solely for the purpose of fighting other dogs (and sadly, other animals and people) to the death. Sadly, there is big money in trendy breeds and people will continue to breed them if there’s demand.

OP has every reason to be concerned and scared of this dog, in my opinion.

@TheHarpySings that was a very well articulated and compelling argument 👏

Which goes to show how utterly useless BSL is. The problem is the owners, not the dogs.

I think owners should be licensed and should have to undertake a course and pass a test to demonstrate that they're capable of being a responsible owner. Anyone giving or selling a dog to someone who isn't a licensed dog owner, or having a dog in their care while unlicensed, should get a massive fine.

If owners had to put in the hard miles before getting a dog, scrotes and arseholes who just want one to look hard in front of their mates wouldn't bother.

Guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the dog-lovers are out in force to take the piss despite extremely recent dog attacks in the street where an elderly woman almost died .

YANBU OP. I don’t have a dog, don’t really like any dogs too much, but I’d also be wary in your circumstances.

That's interesting. I didn't know I owned a dog. Is it a ghost dog?

Agree.

I am crazy about dogs (well, non chavvy ones).

These XL Bullys aren’t dogs. They’re muscle-bound beasts who should be guarding the gates of hell.

@ywnbarwkitty wolfhounds were
literally bred to take down a wolf. They were used to drag men off horses in battle. One of mine is muzzled after she caught a deer. Docile? No.
The hysteria here is ridiculous. Dogs are animals. All are capable of inflicting harm. Just like people are. Obviously a large dog could potentially do more damage. That does not mean all large dogs are killers in waiting.

I am confused by those saying aggression is not bred? So any typical traits of other breeds are sheer coincidence and not in their DNA at all? I echo the border collie comment. Every border collie I’ve met shows instinctive herding abilities and they carry themselves in a very uniform way.

Some gods are natural guard dogs are more PRONE to aggression because of their genetics. A very skilled owner can harness this in the right way but most XL bullies are not cared for by skilled owners.

@TheHarpySings agree with every word you’ve written. Sadly I doubt it will reach the audience that needs to read it

I'd also like to know why nothing seems to be done about their ears. 99% of the ones I see have cropped ears.

They aren't all being imported. So breeders are illegally cropping them.

I dropped some dog food off to a lady last week, part of a pet food bank scheme. She lived in a small flat, 3rd floor.

She had 2 XL bullies, both cropped and a cane corso. I'm guessing to breed from to make money 🤦‍♀️

I agree here. Our Labrador has been painstakingly trained because we have the responsibility of her being a very large and powerful breed with big teeth. The fact her breed isn’t normally associated with dog bites/deaths doesn’t mean she couldn’t do some serious damage if she ever wanted to. I’m always aware of that, never mind the fact she’s a perfect angel.

Bully XLs aren’t inherently dangerous. The fact is, they are more usually owned by irresponsible people who breed and train them to look and br aggressive. So they end up being involved in more incidents. Causation/causality.

Well clearly more people will fear Covid due to the higher number of deaths than Ebola. 🙄 So most fears are based on the highest risk.
I also never said you weren’t allowed to be apprehensive about one thing and not the other, you made that up.
How is it stupid? People are saying they should be destroyed, does that mean other animals that have killed humans should be killed too? You can’t ban/eradicate an entire breed because they have been known to have killed people. Why would it be fair to ban one species who kills a-lot less than another species that kills a-lot more. It’s speciesism. Think outside the box a little.

Speciesm? I've lived to hear it all...

This breed makes up a tiny percentage of the pet dog population, yet is responsible for almost 50% of dog attack fatalities. That is a disproportionately large number.

They absolutely deserve to be eradicated. They should not have been brought into existence in the first place. The end.

They were selectively bred by humans to be dangerous. They are an abomination. They are unnatural and breeding should be banned just as dog fighting, (the thing they were designed for), is.

You’re speaking as fact. I don’t believe they should be eradicated when humans statistically kill/maim far more humans and animals every year but muzzling in public places I agree with.

Well written post @TheHarpySings .
I am stunned by some of the responses on here even when provided with facts and articles showing how dangerous this breed is.

Many humans are an abomination. Humans as a species kill billions of animals every year and kill hundreds of thousands of humans every year too but we don’t eradicate them. Preventative methods should be put in place for powerful and large dogs in a public area I agree with (muzzle) as well as adequate training.

Statistics for anyone interested:

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_Kingdom

The facts and articles that have been provided are tabloid postings, are they not?

This breed does pose additional risks due to size and strength but they do not just flip a switch as has been implied. The only dog that just seems to flip for no reason is a dog that is in pain or has a medical condition. There are always warnings before that. 99% of people that own or are around dogs can't read dog body language and that's part of a wider problem around education around dogs, and the accessibility of dogs to the general public (it's very easy to get them).

Genetically they do possess guarding traits, as do German Shepherds, Dobermans, the English Mastiff, Great Pyrenese, and most overseas street dogs people adopt nowadays.

Anyone looking to bring any dog in to their life should become well versed in dog law, dog body language, dog bite prevention, management and safety.

There is a lot of blanket statements on this thread which should be avoided. But it is not unreasonable to acknowledge risks with dogs of that size.

I agree that many humans are an abomination but this is about dogs.

You bringing up human eugenics doesn't change what I said about dogs.

Preventative methods are good if owners will follow them, but it's unlikely that owners will take these measures as clearly they do not already. Therefore, they need culling.