Something needs to be done about unleashed pitbulls/ XL bullys

[TheyareEverywhere]

We've just moved to a new area which seemed nice and a good place to raise the kids.

After living here for just a week I've had two encounters with one of those big, bulky pitbull / XL bully type dogs off lead with the type of owner you'd expect to have them - young, unable to control them, the sort who use the dog as a penis extention to intimidate people and train the dogs to latch onto things at the park.

DP got chatting to a man at the shop and apparently they belong to drug dealers from the other block down the road. Lovely.

I'm scared of those dogs and won't pretend I'm not. I know what they can, and do, do to people / kids. My DD is equally as scared of them after having one growl and bark at her at the park.

Surely something should be done about people like this, fines for having them off lead on public streets? I don't know. All I know is they're frightening and shit to live amongst 😔

AIB unreasonable?

YANBU.

Banned and euthanized. Until there are none of the type of dog left.
Disgusting creatures (usually both - the killer dog breeds and the owners).

And I don't care how "nice" you think your dog is or what an amazing owner you are. All in all - absolutely 🤮

I always used to believe in Deed not breed but no longer.
The indisputable fact is that nearly all fatal dog attacks in the last few years are down to these large pitbull/XL bully type breeds. Its now a regular occurrence when watching the news to hear of yet another attack involving these dogs.
They are large, strong and bred for fighting.
IMO they need adding to the dangerous breed act and although I don't support euthanasia of all existing ones - they need compulsory registering, neutering and muzzling.

@TheyAreMyBhunasPete -but we will just breed something equally as unstable and capable of harm.

The XL bully is a crossbreed. I’m not a fan of them and wouldn’t own one, I don’t believe they’re family pets (sorry to anyone who has one). No doubt they can be loyal but it’s too much dog for me.

These types of dogs are so incredibly dangerous, all of them are ticking time bombs. I find it insane this country is so relaxed with leash laws although in all fairness no person on Gods green earth would have the physical strength to stop such animal attacking. Of course the justice system in the UK is so pathetic, owners are never concerned about consequences.

People tying themselves up in knots trying to preotect people's rights to own these animals drive me nuts. They are not suitable family pets and they should not be around the public, especially children. The nature/nuture debate probably carries some weight, but bully types from loving homes have attacked many times.

Of course any dog can attack, and they do. Other breeds have killed, including huskies, rottweilers, GSD and even a labrador, but they make up a very small percentage compared to bully breeds.

Bully breeds are extremely powerful, a human is no match, and the strength of their bite and tenacity to hold on is unmatched. You have to practically kill them to make them let go, and they are also extremely unpredictable and will attack with virtually no warning.

If someone wants that in their house, around their kids, and they want to walk the streets with an animal they can barely control, that could flip without warning, well good luck.

I don't want it near me, thanks.

All breeds attack people- if you look at statistics snd history. A well bred and managed XL bully is a lower risk than many other dogs, like those I’ve mentioned. I remember in the 90s when rotties were called ‘devil dogs’. My point is that as a breed, there is nothing wrong with the dogs. ALL breeds have specific characteristics that need to worked with and when trained well, XLs are not ‘bad’ dogs. By nature, bulky breeds are loyal and not aggressive to people (some are reactive to other dogs and need good training)
When these breeds become fashionable like rotties in the 90s and XLs today, they become valuable and money making machines.
Bloodlines aren’t upheld, they are bred quickly and are sold to idiots who want to look hard and don’t know their way around a large breed dog.
If you ban XLs there will be another breed similar- banning pit bulls didn’t stop dog attacks or people owning dangerous dogs because unscrupulous breeders will always find a trend.
If breeders were vetted and owners licensed, it would become very clear that XLs aren’t the issue. XLs or any large powerful dog in the wrong hands are the problem.

Sure the lady in Liverpool who died owned two or three of them and bred them.

Totally totally agree with this.

If someone posts on here about getting a border collie, they’re warned about their innate need for exercise and stimulation, which has been bred into them.

Border collies are much more likely to show a herding instinct, to be high energy and ‘stalk’. Not all border collies are like that, but it’s much more likely.

Greyhounds are much more likely to chase small furries. Not all greyhounds do, but they’re much more likely to.

Spaniels are much more likely to sniff - not all spaniels will but it’s more likely.

and so on and so on.

XL bullies are often bred irresponsibly, from parents with poor temperaments. The biggest, most powerful dogs are bred from. Hence you get big, powerful dogs that are more likely to inflict harm. Yes - there are some out there with an even temperament, but as with all other breeds, you get out what you put in and the ‘deed not breed’ brigade completely ignores the role of genetics, breed traits and temperament.

@Grapewrath just like guns in the wrong hands are the problem in the States... all guns should be banned and all dogs that have the fatality record of bullies and the killing capabilities should be banned. We can't get rid of the the irresponsible owners so we need to remove their weapons - simple.

If a border collie, bought from a working farm, was kept in a flat, never walked and started herding and nipping the kids, would you say it had nothing to do with the breed?

It is a combination of the power and strength of the breed, a genetic predisposition for aggression which is actively bred for, COMBINED with poor owners. Those factors work together to create this problem. If you breed dogs together with have dodgy temperaments, you will get some puppies with dodgy temperaments. It’s how genetics works.

I think that it should be law that all dogs are on a lead in public places/roads. How you designate a 'public place' may be up for discussion though.

My dog HAS to be on a lead whenever there are people/other animals about because she's an aggressive little bugger who will randomly start fights, but that's terriers for you. Because I love her and no more want her to be destroyed than I'd want my kids pts, I keep her on a lead and away from anything that may cause problems. She runs with me down rural roads (on the lead) and goes off lead across local fields and tracks, so she gets plenty of exercise, but I know she's not to be trusted. And I wish people would stop letting their off lead dogs come up and greet us - I'm always hearing 'it's all right, he's friendly!' and having to shout back 'but she's not, and she WILL bite!'

Its far from ideal but it's London and they are everywhere. You're not likely to get any grief from them if they're left alone, unlike their dogs.

We're not moving. They're not our direct neighbours but in another block down the road. They do linger about near the nearest newsagents so I won't be taking the kids there unless I can't avoid it and will be using the other one further away.

Bull breeds were bred for fighting and killing bulls.

What is it about that genetic background that makes the breed suitable as a family pet?

"Its the owners fault, let's not blame the breed!!!!" Bore off. Guess we should legalise guns then right? As its the gun owner and not the actual gun?

Guns are legal if you are licensed to have them, and if someone is shot, it is the owner who aimed and pulled the trigger, not the gun.

How many people get killed by cars? - should we ban all cars? Same for knives.

Dog licenses wouldn’t help, the type of owner who doesn’t train their dog, gets the dogs ears clipped etc are not going to buy a licence.

@Restforabit only 8? You do realise that there is thousands of these dogs in this country so shows that everyone of those thousands is dangerous.

The problem started when back yard breeders got one on the cheap. These dogs used to go from 5k-10k so the average joe couldn't afford one. Now you got back yard breeders selling them for £500 with no health test, no bettering the breed and looking out for temperaments, so you get the down and outs buying them and breeding them. The problems didn't arise until this happened. I own a bully he was 8k when you pay that much for a dog you want the best of everything temperament, hip score, health test the works. You aren't going to want a dog to attack and risk losing your dog or money money so you train train train. My dogs not people or dog aggressive even though he's been bitten by smaller dogs. He's walked twice a day and one of those walks is on secure land where's there's no other dogs not because he's aggressive but because he's heavy and playful which might result in a dog being injured if he lands on them. He's not let off lead in public places because we understand not everyone loves dog or are scared due to his size.

I think dog licenses should be a thing for giant dog owners and owners should be sent to prison if there dog attacks.

That's an area of the city that isn't particularly nice so you can probably guarantee the owner is into illegal stuff of some kind.

The point about these breeds is that if/when they turn, which they are bred to do, they are too strong for an owner to control.

I have a dog. If he went on the turn I would be physically able to hold onto him and control him, preventing serious harm. He is highly unlikely to do this in the first place. These bullys are not only more prone to attacking, but less able to be apprehended by a human because of their sheer strength. It is a massive concern for me seeing the lack of control, lack of recall and general lack of training that owners have over a disproportionately strong animal.

8k wow I had no idea they went for so much money! Do you have a photo of him you'd be happy to share?

@shadowchancesassy “only eight” is really dismissive, I’m sure you didn’t mean it like that, but it is.

Most years only see between two and four fatal dog attacks. There were a total of twenty seven fatal dog attacks covering the start of 2010-end of 2019, so ten years.

Given April isn’t over yet, from January 2020 - April 2023, there have been twelve - thirteen if you count last nights - eight involving XL Bullies.

That is a huge jump. Ten attacks in 2022 alone: that’s compared to four in 2021, two in 2020, three in 2019 and one in 2018.

If something is increasing dramatically, whether that’s violent crime, dog attacks, traffic fatalities, it surely makes sense to look at some of the possible reasons for this and how as a society we can reduce risk. Your right to have the pet of your choice is important, but the safety and well-being of others is also important.

I have a dog and I don't take him over the park as often as I could as there are some dogs that are running free that either do not respond to recall instructions from owners - or are never called back even if the owners can see they are being a nuisance. Some are large dogs, but some are small and snappy.

I wouldn't agree with euthanasia of a whole breed.

I actually believe you should be licensed to be a breeder, and any dogs owned by people who are not licensed must be "done" so dogs can't be bred by the general public.

@Lowkeyana

I think ywbu if you make this breed specific rather than owner specific. Any dog breed can be trained to be violent by a bad owner and any uncontrolled or uncontrollable dog can be a risk to a child.

But some dogs, due to their physical make up, are far far far more able to cause permanently life changing injuries or fatal ones. To be too strong for someone to fight off them.

The risk level is breed dependent. No dog should be out of control, but any of us would be far more terrified of being attacked by an XL bully than a chihuahua. Chihuahuas can be vicious and cause injury, absolutely, but an average adult (and many children) are likely to be able to overpower them enough to get free and are very unlikely to lose their life as a result. The same is absolutely not true for large build, muscular, massive jaw strength breeds.

While I agree a larger dog is more likely to be able to kill someone than a smaller dog, when it comes to young children, if a jack Russel went for the face of a toddler the outcome would still be awful.

a golden retriever can do as much damage to a small or vulnerable person as any other breed. Ironic calling it the same utter nonsense when I’ve faced hefty vets bills from a Pomeranian going for the throat of my dog but sure they’re absolutely safe to have around kids untrained is a bit far🙃

I have name changed for this as it’s very outing but I wanted to make everyone aware that the current laws around this as pitiful. The police, rspca, courts, dog warden etc will do nothing about dangerous aggressive dogs even if they attack. The only time something will be done is when they kill someone..

I live next door to one of these. They owned two before. Both have attacked people twice and dogs four times. I had reported them as dangerous and out of control 5 times to the police and dog warden. They were reported by the people they attacked. They are huge 11 stone dogs. They almost got through my fence and one was inches away from biting my 3 year old. We ran inside.
After they killed a dog the owner was told to build a bigger fence. He didn’t.
Last year they escaped and attacked a random person outside our house. The owner could not get them off. The attack went on and on. The victim needed extensive surgery and is unable to work. He was a huge man himself but stood no chance. It was caught on cctv. We went to court, I was a witness. Me and the victim and another witness didn’t even get to give evidence. The judge already decided the outcome. No sentence for the owner, he got to keep one of the dogs with no restrictions as cctv was unclear which dog did the worst bite and the other dog was rehomed to his son. A dog that has attacked 3 people, one seriously is still allowed to walk around in public and the courts say it’s ok. His solicitor said well he loves his dogs. The owner tried to claim the dogs were trying to play. The victim had half his stomach ripped down to the muscle and his leg to the bone.
Me and my dc still have to live next door to this.

My friend reported a different xl bully that the owner cannot hold on to. It’s not fed or given water and never walked. He just stands about outside his house with it. It lunges at tries to attack anyone it sees. The police said as it’s not a banned breed there is nothing they can do until it actually manages to seriously hurt a person. Which is a matter of time.

I own a dog. I like dogs. It is the breed. They need banning asap.

@Lowkeyana but a golden retriever is very unlikely to attack to the same level as an xl bully. They may bite (unlikely) but they won’t hold on and continue to maul. They are large, but are bred for temperament and soft jaw as they retrieve but don’t kill or damage the game.
I have yet to meet a GR I couldn’t overpower if needed.
Average GR weight is 5 stone. Xl bully around 10 stone. That makes a difference.

@Nonamefor1 that is horrific. How scary for you having to live next door. We have to be much much tougher on the owners of aggressive dogs.