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?

"Tail wagging can also indicate aggression/fear BTW. Dog behaviour 101"

Just reposting my actual comment.

https://youtube.com/shorts/P8oYOfKklvM?si=ibKymRZeXczc2_Db

Here is footage of an XL Bully attack in Birmingham. The dog is not scared - it is chasing several terrified grown men.

The bully attack I was unfortunate to witness was disturbing. The way it didn’t give a shit about any appeasement signals the poor dog was giving, on its back screaming trying to show it wasn’t a threat while its throat was torn out.

Why anyone wants a dog that enjoy killing its own kind is beyond me. It’s one thing having a grumpy Labrador that doesn’t want a dog in its face but to have a dog that enjoys killing another and gets a thrill out of it…just why?

Oh right. So you’re saying it could be aggression. Well, thanks for that. I’d never have guessed that trying to kill a person or an animal was a sign of aggression.

But I can’t see why that should stop anyone thinking that XL bullies get pleasure or excitement from being aggressive and violent.

@WhatsTheUseOfWorrying
There was a mumsnet user who witnessed the attack on the poor man who was disembowelled .
They were certainly turned on and enjoying it.

The people with little dogs - A Hippo 🦛 is hardly afraid of a little on leash dog.

The XL s that have killed women- hardly afraid, either.

Not once did I say these dogs attack out of fear (some might have very mistakenly feel threatened though i suppose). A pp said a dogs tail wagging = pleasure. I said tails wagging can also mean fear/aggression (fear or aggression). This is very basic dog behaviour that everyone should know tbh.

Again, a pp said tail wagging = pleasure.

I was saying this is not always the case.

But everyone crack on with making things up 🙄

Wish people WERE “ Making stuff up”about fighting breeds getting turned on by fighting.

( Attacking)

Press are reporting that over 4,000 already have

So I don't think it shows any such thing.

Those who want to keep vicious "status" fighting dogs will just move on to a new cross, that usually doesn't fit the measurements.

That's how the DDA failed - in the sense that dog attacks overall have risen consistently since - because controls on a few breeds/types just left a gap for the even bigger/stronger pitbull crosses to be the new dog for that type of owner.

Words have meaning, saying a dog gets "turned on" by attacking is some statement to make. Or do you just mean some of them might enjoy it? Granted, that doesn't sound as salacious though.

And if you do mean turned on, as in sexually, which is the accepted meaning of turned on, id be genuinely interested in seeing the research.

I took it to mean excited.

This is all pointless anyway. What does it matter if an XL Bully is excited in one way or in another by ripping the throats out of people or animals? It’s what happens.

@SomeCatFromJapan Yes she managed to pull through eventually, she needed three surgeries though and was in complete misery for around 2 months, almost lost her to infection because her body was struggling so much and at first they wanted to amputate because her leg was so mangled it turned half black from tissue die off. Very dog aggressive now though, and her poor little face turned mainly white after. Lovely at home though, spends most of the day snoozing with my cats 🤗

@oakleaffy Yes she's a fighter 😃Here she is enjoying the sunshine with my mad spaniel off somewhere on her long line. I would usually release a dog if I thought there was going to be trouble, especially with how fast lurchers/whippets are but this was horrifying and there was no time at all. I was walking along a long stretch of pavement bordered by hedgerows with fields behind and it came out of nowhere and was on us straight away, it didn't even bother hovering over her or posturing, just grabbed her straight away and started shaking her. There was a second that grabbed her back leg too, I had to hit the dog behind the ears with a big fallen branch because the owner was useless and later blamed me in court for screaming while my dog was being killed and that I had made his dogs go into a "frenzy" 🙄Not sure if he expected me to just calmly watch and let her get killed without a peep but I was terrified, I've never seen violence like that before.
I also hate how vulnerable we are when we're not allowed to carry anything for our own protection in the UK, now I don't leave the house for a dog walk without a heavy walking stick and a strong spare slip leash and get panic attacks over even normal breeds running up to us so I walk miles and miles to get out of the way.

If you're mistaking the term "heightened arousal" as meaning sexually turned on then you're interpreting it wrong.

I work in a vets, I have qualifications in animal behaviour (levels 2, 3 and 4 and also postgraduate level) and I'd be very interested to read the scientific research that states dogs get "turned on" by aggressive behaviour.

Most aggressive behaviour happens either through fear, lack of socialisation or through being trained to fight.

As pp has also used the word excited, I took it to mean in the usual sexual sense that "turned on" means. I'm sure they can clarify if they didn't mean it in that way.

It matters when people start making shit up. Usually when that is suspected to be the case its challenged. That's kind of the point of discussions.

If its not made up then fine! Again, that's part of discussions.

@VeterinaryCareAssistant With certain breeds aggressive behaviour is genetic, lots of top dog trainers agree that even in nice breeds, aggressive behaviour can be genetic and some dogs just aren't wired right. With XL bullies their pitbull descendants who aren't wired right are bred to each other and it means they're aggressive by nature not nurture. These puppies aren't scared, taught or undersocialised.

By turned on the other posters probably mean their penis is unsheathed which happens to lots of male dogs when theyre excited, but it's normally when they're in the car on the way to the beach or playing with a frisbee vs killing people. It is arousal in the traditional sense but not inherently sexual.

Pitbulls don’t need “training “ to fight-
They were selected to fight and to love doing it.

Little Lurcher puppies don’t need teaching how to chase and course- it’s in them

Border collies herd -

GSD’s guard , Labradors retrieve

Why do people act so surprised when game bred dogs want to attack other dogs-

It’s basic common sense.

Lurchers bring their owners Rabbit
Jack Russell Terriers kill stableyard rats.

It’s innate.

The only shit that’s being made up on this thread is any defence for owning XL bullies.

On the contrary. The human cost is precisely the issue people care about. Strange though this might seem, for most people with a sense of proportion the wellbeing of humans still outweighs that of dogs.

The breeders of these animals in particular, and a good proportion of their owners, don't seem to care too greatly about their wellbeing if reports of a last-minute scramble to 'rehome' them, or shunt them off to Scotland, or the abandonment of large numbers of them in shelters and even on streets, are accurate. All they would have needed to do is register them at the same sort of cost as renewing a passport or driving licence, chip them, neuter them, and train them to wear a muzzle. Surely these are minimum standards of responsible pet ownership, to be willingly undertaken by those who allegedly love their 'family member?'

The regularity and severity of attacks by these crossbred monstrosities left the government with no real option but to act. Several months' notice has been given; there was no need for a last minute panic to offload these dogs. It's owners and breeders of these dangerous mutts - aggression being an innate breed trait - who are solely responsible for the mess we are seeing now.

@SerafinasGoose I would even add to that and say that this will be of overall benefit to dogs overall, the non-aggressive, nice natured pets that have been killed or severely injured by being attacked. I'd much rather see dogs that are suitable as pets being able to live and go for walks in safety, than any particular concern for a proven badly-bred and dangerous breed.

@mapleriver I'm so glad she pulled through, she's gorgeous. Poor poor girl though - no fat or thick fur and and poor thin skin What a horrible trauma for both of you.

@mapleriver Just seen your replies -
Thank Goodness your sweet innocent Whippet survived-
A miracle really- Whippets have such fine skin and fine bone-
Those horrible fighting breeds with thick craniums and wide maws attacking a little Whippet two on one- It’s amazing she survived.

Goodness knows how much the vet’s fees were - running into thousands most likely.
Did the out of control XL’s owner pay the vet’s fees?

Our vets say that this type of dog ( XL Bully and other Pit crosses don’t read or take notice of appeasement signals from other dogs.

They launch an attack without warning.

It is alarming how the owners seem to be completely out of control as well.

Police and Army use dogs with a good front tooth grip to apprehend people- but these are highly trainable with a brain in their noggin so have an “ Off” switch.

Fighting breeds just carry on attacking regardless .

Don’t be silly, of course not “ Sexually”
Turned on as in highly aroused and absolutely enjoying what it is doing, In the zone, not wanting to break off.

Basically that there is nothing that dog would rather be doing than attacking and mauling.

No offering it a treat or telling it what a good boy it is would work- It’s doing what it was bred to do.

@mapleriver Precisely that!
Turned on Pit puppies attacking each other.

Pit bull pups have decapitated littermates despite food being available.

Whippet puppies by comparison chase stuff - They might tussle and put paws on shoulders, but aren’t aggressive like this video.

I can’t honestly see why XL owners should get any subsidy, but even so they do

Because they don't want the (bad) owners just abandoning the dogs. It's set at roughly the national average PTS fee plus cremation. If the costs are higher (which they usually are for large breeds; or because it's an expensive part of the country and fees must also rise to cover costs). Very few will be making a profit.

How many XLs were there estimated to be in the country before the DDA was amended?

I assume figures on how the scheme was used will be available IDC (numbers exempted, numbers PTS)

But if the dogs can still be legally bred and sold in Scotland, presumably they will still end up in E/W - because movement between the home nations doesn't count as import, does it? So will new exemptions be available for XL owners moving house within UK? (Genuine questions - I have no idea!)