To think we're about to see an influx of XL Bully attacks after a rehoming free for all?

[SeattleSpacePlane]

So I know the ban is about to come in. Plenty for it, many against it. Not trying to start a debate about that!

Yesterday someone on my FB shared a post from a woman who was offering to rehome an XL to save it before the ban came in. Someone commented with a group for rehoming XLs before it's too late and banned and I clicked on it for a look.

I was absolutely gobsmacked by the posts on the group. Hundreds of posts going back weeks of XLs needing new homes (I suppose expected) - but a VERY high and panicked volume of posts over the past few days, as the ban approaches.

Lots of pictures of dogs with !!URGENT!! rehoming requests. From people asking on behalf of their friend, because their HA just told them XLs are banned under their tenancy, for the XL they just found abandoned behind Tesco, because they bred an XL litter this year and a buyer has just dumped an 8 month old pup back with them. Lots of reasons. Incredibly sad for the dogs, none of this is of their making.

But it's the reaponses. Comments and comments from people offering to rehome an XL to save them. Highlights were 'willing to take one but must be good with children as I have a 5 year old'. 'I wish I could have both but I'm in a flat so one is my limit, please contact me'. 'I have an XL already who is brilliant with the kids, happy to add another poor baby to our pack'.

Dogs are currently being panic-rehomed all over the Country. People are offering their services to transport the XL from Devon to the family in Yorkshire who've agreed to take it. No home checks, no behavioural checks of the dogs, people aren't even meeting the dog they're agreeing to home. Lots and LOTS being shipped to Scotland in particular where there's no ban.

It's truly frightening the amount of people with young dc agreeing to blindly rehome an XL to save them. I wouldn't rehome a bloody Yorkie without meeting the dog first never mind an XL!

This is going to end in tragedy, surely?

AIBU to think the ban on privately rehoming them should have been immediate at point of announcement to prevent this madness? And also that, sadly, we're likely to be reading several tragic stories in the coming weeks about one of these panic-rehomed dogs turning?

You have to ask though why are they willingly taking their “fur babies” who wouldn’t hurt a fly to be PTS? Or why are they sending them to Scotland instead of doing the responsible thing of having the animal castrated, registered or muzzled?

Yes. I can see that training even the most laidback adult dog to accept wearing a muzzle must be a dreary grind. But neutering and microchipping is just normal pet ownership of cats and dogs. I'm not sympathetic to anyone who'd rather put the animal down.

You don't even need to step a foot outside your home to get third-party insurance and the exemption certificate! They can both be done online! If you're trying to rehome your pet on facebook, you've got net access, haven't you?

You are correct @SeattleSpacePlane that the irresponsible last minute rehoming is likely to lead to an increase in attacks. There has been no increase in resources allocated to deal with the consequences of the ban for the dog wardens or police dog liaison officers - both already under resourced services. I think it remains to be seen how/if the ban is policed and we need a few high profile prosecutions with the unlimited fine/6 month prison sentence actually being applied before it will be taken seriously. It’s likely that as with pre-existing dog law the law abiding responsible owners will comply and there will be very little consequence for the folk that don’t unless a serious attack happens.

Vets have the highest suicide rate of all professions. No one becomes a vet because they want to put animals down, especially not in bulk quantities. It's an emotive part of their job. I'm guessing you aren't upset if your pet is put to sleep?

Give this job to the Royal Air Force then, not vets.

I would never keep a pet alive if it were ill or elderly and had a poor life. Keeping pets alive for the sake of it is cruel IMO. I’ve had pets put down when they were old and in a bad way.

I used to work with a vet’s wife who said her husband used to tell her of many owners who would spend anything and subject a cat or a dog to anything, to keep it going, however much he might counsel them against it. Paid for a lot of foreign holidays for them, apparently.

I’ve never had to have a healthy pet PTS. But if the law required it I would do it. And that would be my pet, not the vet’s pet. To a stranger it would be just another dog.

As for suicide among vets, that’s truly terrible (as it is for any suicide). But I imagine there are many reasons for that, including the pressures of dealing with obsessive and unreasonable owners, as I said upthread.

"As someone in the profession said earlier today to us “I keep the syringes filled, game on” and they were from Manchester. 148 were euthanised between 27th and 30th December at that one practice"

I'll take "shit that didn't happen so much it unhappened things that did happen" for £250 please.

Do vets have the highest suicide rate of all professions? Have you got a link to that? I acknowledge it is one of the highest. But dentists and doctors have high rates as well. And dentists definitely aren't killing anyone. I thought the suicide levels for any medical profession was high due to stress levels. Whether that's for people or animals. Most likely from having to deal with the public and make decisions that could be wrong etc and cause them to be sued potentially.

I'm a dog lover, I have three myself. But I've got non status breed who are placid and calm in nature.

I however do agree with the restrictions, I've seen people out walking these dogs with little training being dragged around, having to dig their heels in and use their body weight to try and control them. Most are acquired to breed from and sell on to people who want that "look".

It's sad they will be PTS that aspect I don't particularly agree with. But yes they should have a licence, be neutered, and wear a muzzle. At least then they can't rip people to shreds anymore.

I had a quick Google and it seems to confirm what you say. The professions generally have higher than average rates of suicide, no doubt because of the general stresses.

I very much doubt that putting pets down is the main cause, or probably even a major cause, of stress in vets. Money and dealing with the unforgiving and unreasonable public are much more likely to be behind that. And it’s not hard to see how difficult some pet owners must be, judging by the many threads about cats and dogs on MN and some of the crazy attitudes of owners.

An XL bully has been found in an alleyway in London with its head fractured, legs tied together, ear cut off and legs burned. Initial reports suggest it escaped from someone's garden when the fence blew down in the wind, so seems very possible a member of the public has done this.

Article easy to find. Warning the images are very upsetting.

That is absolutely horrible. I've made clear I'm not keen on the breed and I don't think humane euthanasia is the worst thing that can happen to an animal in contrast to an uncertain future, but deliberately causing suffering is a whole other matter.

I think the Scottish government took advice from the animal charities on the XL legislation and they were told it wasn't the breed etc. and also that the dangerous dogs act was completely unpoliced. Whether that's sensible or not at least they took advice.
Unlike King Rishi who decided that an instant ban would work.
It's a shitshow of course because anyone could see that these dogs are bred and owned by people who either are gangsters or like to think they are. There's also a serious amount of dog fighting that goes on.
It's part of a whole culture that prides itself on being hard and the attacks are part of the thrill.
So the next favourable dog breed is just waiting to be adopted by these people.
Unfortunately Scotland has a good fair share of these idiots and plenty more seemingly intelligent people who buy brachiocephalic breeds, adopt mental street dogs from the Med and let their beloved fur babies off lead to maul fields of sheep. None of that has been dealt with in any meaningful way by any government in Scotland.
My dog was attacked by an off lead bedlington terrier and fortunately I was able to pick the dog up by its harness and move it. Fortunately as he's a beagle it put him neither up nor down and he still screams like a knob to meet and greet every dog he sees
I'd hate to even begin to drag off a Bully.

I think the Scottish government took advice from the animal charities on the XL legislation and they were told it wasn't the breed etc. and also that the dangerous dogs act was completely unpoliced. Whether that's sensible or not at least they took advice.

Did they bollocks. They did what they always do, look at what England/Wales are doing and choose the opposite. If course if you go to a "Bullies are Marvellous" charity they are going to say it's not the breed. Meanwhile, back in the real world...

Also anyone with half a brain could predict that the hard of thinking are going to import their animals to us up here. Your other mistake is thinking the Scottish government give a shit about anyone in Scotland who is not a paid up SNP member.

I think the Scottish government took advice from the animal charities on the XL legislation and they were told it wasn't the breed etc. and also that the dangerous dogs act was completely unpoliced.

Taking advice from animal charities and acting on it is not sensible for a matter of public policy about saving lives and reducing harm from dangerous animals.

It’s untrue that the DDA is unpoliced. If you complain to the police about a suspected banned breed they will follow it up.

A vet isn't sure if the head was fractured by a being hit by a vehicle- allegedly this dog escaped from someone's garden after their fence blew down.

The burning looks post mortem - As to the ear- these XL owners have zero problem in severing the ears illegally in this country to get ''that look'' - cobbled botched ear amputations aren't uncommon on XL's. unfortunately.

These dogs attract owners that don't keep them safely contained.

A forensic inspection would know if the burning was done pre or post mortem -eg if there was smoke particles in the lungs or not. Ditto for the amputated ear.

A sheep was found on land a few years ago with its legs similarly tied that idiots with their aggressive dogs had allowed to be disembowelled.

I'm not sure it matters when any of it was done, before or after the death tbh.

Ear cut off - one ear??? So someone decided to crop its ear, then what? Run it over?

Whoever did this needs some serious psychiatric help.

(Not sure what the sheep story had to do with this)

The burning looks post mortem

I did wonder if that was the case, e.g. someone had injured the dog accidentally (knocked down perhaps), panicked, tried to burn the body to hide the evidence, then realised it's not that simple.
Either way, it's an horrific thing to do. I completely agree with the ban and the rules imposed as part of it, but my goodness people should just report any XL bullies they see with owners not abiding by the law, vigilantism is not the answer, and in this case, it's downright cruel.

I too use a Practice where they see XL Bullies as a huge risk to other dogs and cats - I have spoken to the staff there , some of whom have worked at the larger rescue places and say how the dogs with Pit in the mix can attack without showing any warning signs.

Often a practice has it's preferred breeds that it tends to deal with.

A lot of XL owners seem to use the ''free'' vet services like PDSA or similar, so don't use private practice, and vanishingly few opt to spay or neuter them. {At least pre ban}

Most pet owners factor in the costs of neutering and routine insurance , worming &c but the XL Bullies that are picked up aren't even microchipped.

The person that back yard bred them is supposed to have them microchipped before selling them, but very few do.

Also agree that IF this owners really cared about their XL's they'd muzzle and lead train them, not ship them off to Scotland.

People sicken me, that poor dog. Although I'm sure some on here will think the dog somehow deserved it. I've seen people commenting that they'd happily euthanise the dogs (and owners) themselves.

BSL isn't the answer and never will be. If this had been thought out properly when pitbulls were being banned we wouldn't be in this position now.

Doubt someone accidentally hit a dog, then thought shit this is awful, id better drag it into an alley, tie its legs together, cut one ear off, and burn its paws.

Of course it matters. Burning a live dog is orders of magnitude worse than burning a dead one.

Exactly - as for slicing the ears off, here is a back yard breeder of XL's - look at the state the puppies are kept in, {empty water bowls- no place to move freely } and the botched amputation of the ears.

Well yes, for the dog, obviously.

Whoever did the burning and cutting is obviously a ghoul. Nobody wants torture or desecration for fun of any animal. (Though one would hope the violation was of the corpse not the live animal.)

But all this really has nothing to do with (relatively) speedy restrictions on keeping XL Bullies. That’s long overdue, and IMO should be extended for other sorts of dogs too. There is simply no justification for keeping a pet dog capable of killing an adult.

This wasn't an ear cropping gone wrong. Thats quite obvious. They wouldn't have commented on the dogs ear being cut off, they'd gave said "a one eared dog".

Because then what's the story? Let's crop our adult dogs ears, oh shit I took too much off, no probs we'll let it loose instead? Or stove it's head in and burn it?