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?

I loathe people who crop dogs ears or tails even ‘humanely’. Sick fuckers.

I knew I’d seen a fair few posts from a local animal rescue lately with XL type dogs coming in, but I’ve just gone and checked their feed. They’ve had an unbelievable 27 XL type dogs come in since 1 December. And that’s just one smallish rescue. Unsurprisingly, six of these dogs were obviously chucked out some time ago as they were found as strays, and emaciated. A good proportion of the others show signs of abuse either in their behaviour or physically. One poor girl is literally covered in scars, so obviously been used for fighting. The strays were not being looked for by their owners, clearly. The rescue have been upfront (and scathing) about the owners ditching their dogs because they ‘can’t’ muzzle train, insure etc. They were never ‘much loved’ dogs obviously but status dogs, protection dogs, intimidation dogs, whose owners will now move on to the next breed deemed appropriate for their purpose. They’ve been taking other dogs too throughout this time and they’re overwhelmed. They are a good, well regarded, professional rescue and they made it clear they were not going to be rehoming for the sake of it and getting them offloaded quickly like a lot of other rescues. I don’t know what happens now, there’s been a last minute reprieve for dogs in rescue not having to be euthanised, and they’re a non kill rescue, so I guess they have the burden of looking after these dogs from this point forward.

Given this https://apple.news/A1w9VGFX_R5ey826nNr5y4g I think we’re likely to see abandonment/cruelty increase hugely.

I saw a Twitter post about this with an AI-generated pic of a host of sad-looking XLs crossing a rainbow bridge. People are daft.

That's why I posted about it 😔 i think we'll see a lot of these types of stories in the future thanks to vigilantes emboldened by the media. And mistaken identity too e.g. smaller cross breeds or staffies being mistaken by idiots for XL's ☹️

Makes me so angry, 8 have no idea (as a dog owner myself) how people can be so cruel. I’ve heard of another this week too. So bloody tragic.

Do you mean it’s tragic that people could mistreat an animal in this way? If so, I agree.

Or do you mean it’s tragic that the law has come down against XL Bullies? If so, I completely disagree.

It’s up to XL owners what they do. Muzzling in public, neutering etc is what’s possible - although that doesn’t protect people in the home - but any abandonment or cruelty (or moving to Scotland) is on them, not on anyone else.

who needs vigilantes when XLBully owners are so brutal to a breed they are back yard breeding , using them for fighting and generally hacking off their ears when alive to sell on. Pre ban.

It’s not a type of dog loving and responsible owners are drawn to.

XL bully owners have been jailed for ear amputation in England and rightfully so.

I very much doubt it. The vigilante types are the existing owners.

Any suffering will be caused by the dogs’ owners.

Exactly this!
The dog found was owned by someone who clearly didn’t give two shits about it.

People on here who are against XL’s are because we care for and respect our pets- We don’t want them attacked by fighting breeds-

Nor do we support appalling cruelty to any dog eg Back yard breeding, ear and tail cropping or puppy farming of ANY breed.

Where is your evidence of vigilantes torturing or desecrating dogs?
On the other hand there is a lot of evidence that many xl bully owners have been treating their dogs with considerable cruelty and are continuing to do so by abandoning them.

Edit: See the rescue post above where XLs have been abused by their awful owners long before the ban.

Tragic that people are mistreating the dogs. I understand they might want to remove the dog from the house, but there is the option to have them euthanised rather than treat them so brutally as per the link.

I don't have any evidence, hence why I said "i think"

The fact that owners aren’t getting the exemption certificate goes to show it the owners not the dogs who are the problem here.

Fighting breeds are genetically driven to attack - hence even gentle women owners have been killed .

That news report re the burned dog is horrifying. The ex-fighting dogs, dogs with biting histories, bait dogs, dogs with any sort of aggression that meet the type and are in rescue or are abandoned should just be euthanised by law. It shouldn't be left to rescues to make the decision based on their kill/no kill ethics. Just as there are horrifyingly dodgy breeders, there are horrifyingly dodgy rescues. As a poster said, being PTS isn't the worst thing that can happen to an animal.

I don't think I understand your comment? I know you don't mean it's OK for this to happen because some owners crop their dogs ears and use them for fighting. Do you mean this is more cruelty to add to the mix if vigilantes do start doing this? If so then absolutely agree!!

It’s both. A bad owner of a little dog is a bad owner of an animal that is unlikely to be able to cause really serious harm with its teeth and can be stopped if it goes mad. A bad owner of an XL Bully (or other large aggressive dog) is a bad owner of a lethal animal.

From today’s Times

“Dangerous XL bully dogs are being advertised online despite a ban on selling or exchanging them. Restrictions on the breed came into force on Sunday, making it illegal to breed, sell, advertise, give, exchange, abandon or let the dogs stray in England and Wales.

Despite the rules, desperate owners are using social media to try to find homes for their dangerous dogs.

In one Facebook appeal a new home was sought on Sunday for a dog called Enzo from Northampton.

The poster wrote: “Enzo needs another home due to owner being scared by he’s [sic] size and apparently gone for her friend.”

Another owner seeking a new home described how the previous owner “lied to me” before they rehomed an XL bully called Bronx six weeks ago. The owner added: “Unfortunately he has bitten my dog. He is reactive outside towards animals and people. The whole street is on high alert, and I fear he will be seized.””

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/xl-bully-dogs-ban-advertised-online-0shl702r9

One doesn't negate the other. It's bad owners with a breed genetically predisposed to aggression and unpredictability, you could argue that there are no good XL owners as no decent owner would consider such an unstable breed.

Article here discussing the level of inbreeding and that while XLs make up around 1% of the UK dog population, they are responsible for around half of all dog attacks:

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/killer-kimbo-xl-bully-half-of-uk-pets-descended-one-us-dog/

Maybe the answer to the problem of status dogs is to ban fighting breeds.

Flipping hell, the stupidity of the people quoted. Two dogs showing aggressive behaviour and signs of escalation, they should both be PTS for public safety.

Mind boggling at how anyone can think that what a dog who has put the whole street on high alert needs is another home rather than being humanely euthanised.

There are some really appalling “Rescues “ “No kill” shelters where dogs are essentially warehoused in small kennels- akin to hoarding animals.
Especially in USA where Pits are the overwhelming type there.

They are seen repetitively jumping up and pacing their jail cells-
one dog with a bite history was on a 10 day hold and savaged an experienced worker. ( caught on CCTV
The dog was shot, but revived and had to be shot again.

Humane euthanasia is much better than a life in a cell ( Kennel) for the rest of the dog’s life.
Especially those who are aggressive with other dogs and people

Tragic that people are mistreating the dogs. I understand they might want to remove the dog from the house, but there is the option to have them euthanised rather than treat them so brutally as per the link.

I mean...the sort of people who own these dogs are typically the sort of people I would expect to mutilate a dog and treat it badly. They happily have their ears docked (usually poorly and without any sort of anesthetic when the dog is a puppy) and actually want that sort of thing done. They get the dogs because it is a status symbol - because it looks 'hard' - not because they are an animal lover. They get the dogs because it makes them feel good. Not because they care about it. It's hardly a stretch to believe the same owners would mutilate and burn their dog when it becomes an inconvenience rather than have it PTS given even with the compensation scheme, it would still cost money to have it PTS.

This will likely happen again. And it's very sad, but not unsurprising. People treat dogs like commodities - this incident isn't unusual. It's just happened at a time when XL bullies are in the press, so it's made headlines.