Finally - govt. explore dog ban

[Tapasita]

Finally the Govt are looking into banning* *American bully XL dogs. I expect the "it's not the dog but the owner" responses to this news but I do think these types of dogs are categorically more dangerous than other breeds, and I'm surprised, given the number of fatalities, attacks and serious injuries over the last few years (most on small children) that it's taken this long for someone in Govt. to pay attention. Why anyone would want to own such a savage dog is beyond me - I personally think it's a working class status symbol primarily. Sorry if that sounds rude but I do instantly judge people who choose these breeds of dogs above any other breed. They know they are heavy, dangerous and powerful. Just why? What are you trying to prove??? They're effing ugly to boot. And they kill children repeatedly.

Certain types of individuals choose that breed again and again with zero care for the consequences. It's just ignorance and "tough image" over..........well, anything else.

Absolutely they should be banned, and people who seek to own a dog - any breed for what it's worth - should be required to have a license and undergo appropriate dog-training courses. These two things should be mandatory, because any dog can kill or inflict serious injury regardless of their otherwise "peaceful" temperaments (which is always the counter-argument.)

American bully XL dogs: Suella Braverman orders 'urgent advice' on banning breed - BBC News

What's there to explore, just issue a total ban.

Fantastic, I heard on the radio that they might have to get an expert in to judge case but case what a dangerous dog is. I hope they don’t get a dog lover in or some one from the dogs Trust who can’t accept the fact that some dogs need to be PTS.

It's the Home Office - Bravarman - who has called for information. It's bigger all to do with HO. It's DEFRA - Coffey- who have responsibility for Dangerous Dogs.

There's something here about being too thick to understand what you can and cannot do.

I think they tend to be owned by two types:

a) Knuckle draggers who want to look tough.
b) Soppy “save-the-doggy” types who have a tendency to fawn over any kind of dog that ends up unwanted and in rescue shelters in unusually large numbers.

As these dogs have shown, they are capable of turning nasty no matter what kind of owner they have.

YOU, think they're ugly and you come across as extremely snobby in saying that they're "working class status symbols" I assume you think only high earners and well to do folk have dogs like weimaraners and dalmatians.

I do think it's the owner rather than the dog, any dog can be nasty and vicious, the most aggressive dogs I've ever encountered have been a bichon frese and a Jack Russell, the soppiest have been boxers, staffies and Danes.

Dogs aren't born vicious, I think a lot owners are naive when getting dogs and just how much training, exercise and stimulus they need. Different breeds need different things and a hell of a lot need more than a couple of walks a day, a bored under stimulated dog will act out. That and nobody should be leaving a kid alone around ANY dog, dogs can't tell an over excited kid to piss off if they're bothering it, all they can do is growl/snap if things get too much with an over excited youngster pulling and prodding at them.

YABU

Really?!

Dogs aren't born vicious

This simply isn't true. Dogs (all domesticated animals) are bred to have traits. These dogs are born with an extremely high prey drive (or 'viciousness').

Dogs aren't born vicious

This simply isn't true. Dogs (all domesticated animals) are bred to have traits. These dogs are born with an extremely high prey drive (or 'viciousness').

Category (a) owners, the knuckle draggers, are hardly likely to be bothered by the law, they're the type who think they're above the law.

They need to be kept stimulated and entertained. That's what I meant about people not understanding the needs of different breeds, they are NOT born vicious and out to attack. Cats are more predatory than dogs

About time.
I hope it doesn't get brushed under the carpet.

It won't happen. Just as there has been no trans guidance for schools. This is a government of talk but no action.

But if a bichon frise or Jack Russell decided to bite as part of their aggression, it’s bad but not life threatening. If a xl bully that’s been bred to be vicious, and a lot of them are let’s not be naive, decides to bite a toddlers face or neck it’s catastrophic. That’s the difference.

small dogs make a lot of noise. They’re not for me. We’ve always had Dobermans. You better believe they were trained so well a child could eat an icecream an inch from their face and they wouldn’t even flinch. All tough image and soft family dogs at their core. Xl bully’s have been moulded into something else entirely. I always walk between my child/ any child I’m with and other peoples dogs because you can never tell and shouldn’t take the risk, but I will cross the path/street if I see the xl bully coming.

People who actually care about dogs and freed and train them responsibly get it.

All dogs need to be muzzled in public. These dogs need to be put to sleep.

I don't think you know what working class is. These dogs are status dogs for drug dealers and the underclass/unemployed not your average working class family. I know, I work in a vets. Anyway yes these dogs can do more damage than many other breeds but if they're banned, another equally dangerous breed will replace them. We need far more stringent laws on who can keep dogs. Compulsory ongoing training classes , compulsory 3rd party insurance which increases with the risk of each breed, harsher punishments for those whose dogs attack etc.. I could go on, there are many things that need to change but banning breeds doesn't work. We banned pitbulls and got XL bullies.

You can't euthanize a whole breed of dogs purely as some idiots haven't taken the time to train and socialise them properly. Don't punish dogs for bad owners

Of course it's the sodding dog. I'd rather take my chances with a JR then an XL bully. I have a wire haired miniature daschund and I am well aware he could bite. However the potential he has for causing harm is nowhere in the same league as the harm a bigger and more powerful dog could cause. We just have to stand on the sofa to escape him.

Good. It can't happen soon enough.

Hopefully all the existing XL Bullies will require to be neutered, and muzzled in public. Breeding such dogs after the ban should carry a prison sentence akin to dealing in illegal firearms since the risk is the same.

There is no legitimate reason to own a dog like that.

I understand that smaller dogs, obviously can do less damage than bigger ones, I was just saying that the size and indeed breed of the dog doesn't necessarily determine its temperament in terms of aggression. Small yappy dogs in my experience are nasty snappy little shits, bigger/bigger built have been the soppiest.

Any dog that's not properly cared for will act out, it is the owners fault not the dogs. As is in a way highlighted up thread by pp with dobermans, 30 odd years ago they were seen as the big nasty dog and there they are as well trained family pets.

Yanbu

Having just had another lunch ruined by a barking dog sat in the pub, with the owners doing fuck all to shut it up, I sometimes wish all dogs could be banned.

I also think we need to have some public broadcasting info about what owners need to do to have a well behaved dog, I’ve just spent a week on holiday and the number of stupid dog owners was astonishing. Eg dogs left in cars, gods out walking on boiling pavements, gos sat on the beach in boiling temps with no shade etc etc

Nothing will happen because (a) the government cannot actually ban them. Breeders will cross breed them to avoid bans and (b) there are far too many "Oh poor little Fido is misunderstood" people in this country.

Meanwhile people will be injured and others, mostly children, will die. This is a country which values dog ownership above children's lives.

I massively judge people who own viscous breeds and I don't care if that makes me a snob.

I think XL bully isn't officially recognised as a breed, is it? Which would make it hard to outlaw. You need to be able to define what you're banning.

Presumably they don't actually kill off the dogs, they ban breeding from them and require measures like muzzling/appropriate fencing etc?

These threads are incredibly repetitive.

Let's leave it to the professionals (not braverman or indeed the government at all) rather than some Mumsnet twit who still thinks Rottweilers are a dangerous dog.

However, to sum up a response to all the comments that will be raised - it's the humans that are the problem.

Dogs are bred to have traits. That doesn't mean they can't be controlled with good training. All dogs should be well trained regardless of breed.

Little dogs do cause less damage but a well trained dog would not cause damage either.

The dogs that you think to be aggressive are not balls of aggression that cannot be controlled. They may well not even be a vicious dog. They will have been bred to fight (over the centuries not nowadays) in certain situations.

Prey drive doesn't appear to be seen as vicious in a greyhound but does in an Akita or other large dog.

There is no point in any thread like this because some people see big dogs as dangerous and don't listen to anything else.

@YeahIsaidit Why not?

Personally I'd prefer to see all the existing dogs neutered & muzzled but after 15 years, there should be none left, so any XL Bullies then should be euthanised.

I keep seeing this that all dogs can be aggressive - they can but this breed has been bred purely for its aggression. And they are strong. There’s limits to how much damage a tiny dog can do. most large dogs could kill a person, but most large dogs aren’t bred to attack.