*Due to it being a matter of public interest in terms of safety, I'm sharing the following.
People do not fully understand dogs, that is the problem.
Not just owners but many dog trainers, behaviourists and especially the major rescue charities.
The information the major rescue charities are giving out to the public is so dangerous.
Their "All Dogs Bite" and "Deed Not Breed" messages are totally irresponsible.
For the past few years myself along with a number of others have been trying to raise awareness of dangerous dogs.
I have also been campaigning to get better protection for those who work in the animal rescue secture and also for whistleblowers who I think few are yet to realise the importance of.
The dog control coalition which includes Dogs Trust, RSPCA, Blue Cross and Battersea are calling for Breed Specific Legislation to be dropped from the dangerous dogs act.
This would allow not just XL-Bully dogs to be legally owned here but all the dangerous dog breeds currently banned.
These charities which are meant to care about animal welfare have shown very little concern for all the innocent pets that have been brutally killed recently by other dogs. Most have been killed by the same types of dogs which they want to see made legal here.
Totally innocent people are being severely injured and killed in the most horrific ways, yet these charities continue to campaign for allowing these dogs to remain on our streets.
Dogs Trust have kept their own record on safety from the public, despite the public being the ones who fund them.
Dogs Trust have purposely withheld dangerous dog assessments from staff.
Failed to tell their staff dogs they were working with had injured other staff.
Failed to legally report under RIDDOR.
So many have been injured whilst working for this charity, some very seriously.
There is a video about Dogs Trust on youtube to raise public awareness as they have failed to be open with the public.
Places like Dogs Trust are the ones decision makers are listening to about dangerous dogs.
What everyone needs to know isn't just that all dogs bite.
People need to understand the different reasons why dogs bite and the true threat they pose.
A dog communicates using body language.
For instance if a stranger comes to close and the dog feels uncomfortable it may cower, growl, air snap etc.
If those warnings are ignored it may resort to biting.
Once it has been successful in communicating the dog will stop, so when the stranger backs away.
This is TOTALLY different to a dog that has a strong drive to fight.
Please research the term GAMENESS in relation to fighting dogs, it will explain alot.
All dogs have inherited characteristics. Certain ones are stronger in certain breeds depending on what they were originally bred for.
A breed originally bred for fighting will have a drive to do just that.
How strong that drive in an individual dog depends on what has been passed down through its lineage.
This means unlike a fearful dog it isn't going to snap if a stranger gets too close and stop when that person moves away.
It isn't going to give a quick bite if its in pain and you try and touch where it hurts.
What it means is a dog bred to fight and one which has a strong desire to do just that will not stop until its opponent is no more.
It knows the most vulnerable parts on another which is why you see so many injuries around the neck area.
It will often bite down and not let go.
It will completely ignore another dogs appeasement signals and continue to attack.
It will fight to the death.
These dogs are NOT like other dogs.
This is what makes them so dangerous.
They do not need to be trained to do this as they have a natural instinct for this already.
No amount of good will is going to change that.
This is your starting point before any external influences.
If you have a dog with a strong desire to fight you could be in serious trouble.
Having been bred to fight to the death, they will not stop even when they have suffered serious injuries to themselves.
They have an incredibly high pain threshold.
This is why such a statement as All Dogs Bite without proper explanation is so dangerous.
When it takes sometimes five people or tazers to get a dog off someone that is serious.
It doesn't mind how many cute pictures you take of the dog or how affectionate it is.
It doesn't matter how good a dog trainer or behaviourist anyone is there is only so much anyone can do to try and suppress a dogs natural instincts.
That desire will always be there, in certain circumstances that natural instinct will come out.
A good dog trainer or behaviourist will recognise this.
Many are starting to refuse to work with certain dogs because of the danger to themselves and because they know there is nothing they can really do, these dogs will always pose a serious threat.
Just because the dog hasn't shown that side of it pleae do not presume it is not there.
Many owners have only realised the true danger when it is too late.
With certain types of dogs instead of breeding this drive out the opposite is being done. The drive to fight is being bred into them on purpose.
In many XL-Bully dogs ones that showed people aggression were bred from.
With a small gene pool used it was almost guaranteed this would be passed down to their offspring.
The result is what we are now seeing on our streets.
This is not the dogs fault, they are totally innocent.
They are not good or bad they just are.
A dog that wants to bring you something is not bad because it was bred to retrieve.
A dog that wants to fight is not bad because it was bred to fight.
Just because we see one instinct as acceptable and one not is not the dogs fault.
We are the ones who have brought both these dogs into our homes and labelled them as pets.
This is what people are not being told but to keep everyone safe it is what everyone must know.
Animal charities, if they really care about dogs need to seriously look at all those being injured and killed by other dogs.
They need to look at why most of their shelters are full with only certain breeds.
They need to educate the public on different breeds of dogs and be honest around them.
The demand for certain breeds would drop and less dogs would be bred as a result.
If they really cared about dogs, that is what they would do.
People also need to look at what is in the interests of the dog.
Are certain breeds suitable in a home environment as pets and out on the streets with people and other dogs.
If the answer is no then putting them in that environment where you are asking them to completely suppress their natural instinct 100% of the time is probably going to lead to them ending up in a shelter or being put to sleep.
No dog lover wants to see that.