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?

So sad and unfair, as per usual humans are to blame for portraying a certain status. The bigger and stronger, come on let's make these breeds popular then let them down by making us look hard when really they are softies. We had a doberman, she was the mostle gentle and loving girl, because they just are and putting in the time and effort to bring out their best qualities is what teal dog lovers do.

A dog not meeting the height isn't a loophole 🤣 cutting it's paws off so it just walks around on stumps to lose a few inches would be.

My local RSPCA has one for rehoming and they've been desperately trying for weeks. I suspect she will be pts now.

This tells you everything you need to know about XL Bully owners. Those who cannot be arsed to get them neutered, registered and have muzzle training etc are exactly the type that should never have been allowed this type of dog.

That's highly unlikely to be his weight - they are usually no more than 30kg, maybe 35kg at a push.

I have a 28kg dog who has pulled me into the road before and I'm very fat and heavy. Scared me to death, we both nearly were hit by a car. So what did we do? Training. Proper training, a Halti and short leads. She is still a tit, not can't pull me into the road again.

A large GR tends not to be as aggressive as an XL Bully, especially if its really a properly bred one where temperament I key. So this exceptionally enormous GR is still much less of a risk to others then an XL Bully.

I agree with you on bad tempered small dogs though, it's a huge problem. Aggressive dogs and shit owners are always a problem and shit owners have all sorts of dogs.

Unfortunately it's very clear that many of the people who have been buying XL Bullies are exactly the people the legislation was written for because it transpires they would rather dump their dogs than walk them muzzled, neuter them or otherwise be a responsible owner with a secure place for them to live / insurance / walked on lead etc. As per a PP, literacy may be a problem but there's always help out there for things like this in life.

I've been seeing similar, from 'rescues' as well which I find more concerning! A giveaway group local to me has had somebody asking for everything needed for a dog as they're rehoming an XL today, from hundreds of miles away, and have nothing for them, one person pointed out that if they are having to ask for freebies to ensure the dog can be cared for then are they sure that they could afford the insurance/muzzle/exemption/etc and they got piled on, it was madness.

Many of these will likely be impacted by the ban regardless, as it isn’t breed specific but based on certain characteristics and that grey area means that other similar dogs could get tangled up in it.

If they have papers to say that the sire is a Johnson bulldog, then they may come under the nonsense classification, but they aren't XL bullys.

How many Golden Retrievers do you think appear in the list of fatal dog attacks in in the UK.

Correct None

Look at the list - the same dogs appear again and again. I'm sure you are right and that there are many irresponsible dog owners of all types - but the fact is a Golden Retriever with a crap owner is vanishingly unlikely to kill someone. The same is not true for some other breeds.

I notice one outlying Cocker Spaniel on the list bit his 84 year old owners hand and it got infected and the poor man died - but it's hardly comparable to what we have seen of bully type dogs mauling people to death. 10 fatal dog attacks in the UK in 2022 - seems to be the highest number recorded looking at these stats.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_Kingdom

These changes are overdue.

I do agree with you, all dogs need good training and responsible owners - sadly this is not alway the case and they are animals at the end of the day! I would however say there are two differences with the bullies that mean the ban is needed- they are bred to kill, it’s instinct, just like collies are bred to herd, it’s built in. All these people who say oh but they are a big softie are like the idiots that get a tiger cub, it’s instinct is to kill and one day it probably will. Yes any dog can ‘turn’ but most can be restrained, a bully is 8 stone of pure muscle, no one could hold it back, frightening.

The remaining dog (with bite history) should be put down.

I am not cruel. I do care about animals - but I care about people more. I have not and would not contribute to the breeding or owning of these dogs and yet we are where we are and we need to put the safety of people first. I will be glad when the breeding ban means the end of these types of dogs and there is no further suffering for the dogs or the public.

I don’t agree with the ban at all, it’s a slippery slope and what breed will be next?

what we need is tougher breeding regulations and dog licensing and actual enforcement 🤷‍♀️ but no the current cunts which run this country have fudged a law which will not actually tackle the problem…

Anyway I’ve seen a lot of these posts on Facebook but I don’t actually have an answer

Said exactly this this morning to family. Well meaning do-gooders rehoming XL dogs with their children and other pets, knowing literally nothing about the background of the dogs they are taking in. What could possibly go wrong?😑

I do totally get the responses I've had from my post on here regarding dangerous dogs and irresponsible owners.

And yes I do get it that fighting off a bully compared to other hefty dogs is obviously how people are being mauled to death.

It's friggin scary and these dogs in the wrong hands are what we are seeing over and over again

I am lucky in that the area I live in I have only come across a few and they are on leads and muzzled however I do get in bigger places there are going to be more.

It's sad that humans have and are breeding these dogs to be like they are. It's cruel

Same as mixing breeds and breeding that results in dogs having lifetime conditions like breathing issues and joint issues etc.

Some humans should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves

Exactly, anyone who buys a dog that has conditions due to their breeding isn't a very good person. Animals aren't a commodity.

@Justfinking
Couldn't have said it better.

Parading around dogs that are carried more than walk because they're joints and bones aren't fused and not having an issue with it totally baffles me.

It also blows my brain that people book their genetically modified dogs in at the vets to have eye surgery or nasal surgery due to breathing and sore issues because that's how they've been bred.

The less idiots that buy them the less get bred. Simples

Golden retrievers can do a lot of damage to a child. I was attacked by my neighbours Golden Retriever at 11 years old. I was sitting in an armchair, the fog walked into the room, looked at me, then attacked, going straight for my eyes. Thankfully my glasses (with plastic lenses) saved my sight. There were huge gouges in the lenses and he ripped the whole right side of my face open resulting in multiple plastic surgeries. They are capable of much more than people think.

Because they are too thick to understand what is being asked of them. Because they don't want to neuter their chav-beast, and haven't bothered their backsides to get it used to a muzzle. Because they know deep down that their animal is no trained, not controlled and a loose cannon.

But I wouldn't worry @SeattleSpacePlane , the hard of thinking in their wisdom are sending them up to us in Scotland, where our even harder of thinking government has not restricted these things at all.

Last ban was 30 years ago, so I doubt it.

The whole panic-rehoming is…interesting

The ‘benefit of the doubt’ part of me says these XL Bully owners have just turned to hysterics rather than research and don’t realise they can easily keep their dog as long as they follow a VERY reasonable set of rules. Also sorry but if you don’t have a spare £90 lying around to register the dog then you’re too skint to own a dog responsibly. People who have pets should have buffers for veterinary emergencies. It’s just cruel otherwise.

The cynical part of me says this is a convenient way to rehome the dog they don’t want anymore that is probably to big and annoying for them.

I saw a post from Carlisle about a ‘hero’ who was ‘racing against time’ to ‘deliver XL Bullies to Scotland before midnight’. I mean how embarrassing is that. Do people think the military police were going to be psychic and know exactly which homes have Bullies and boot their door in at 00.01 to shoot their dog? also where is this ‘hero’ taking these dogs? Are they getting dumped in Gretna? The Scottish Borders have enough to worry about without having a load of dumped dangerous dogs wandering around because English people are either too stupid or too irresponsible to own them

JUST GET AN EXEMPTION CERTIFICATE FFS

Thing is if that was a bully not a golden retriever you wouldn’t be here to tell that tale. that’s the difference.

Exactly. Every single one which has not been neutered, muzzled, registered and whatever should be put to sleep.

But, but….they want to put pictures on Facebook about how CUTE their fur baby is. That justifies all the breeding abuse surely? #sarcasm

I think the amount being dumped and discarded just shows what sort of owners most of these dogs have. Can’t make money out of them or parade them around intimidating people anymore so what’s the point of keeping them. If you haven’t bothered insuring or neutering your dog (unless for behavioural reasons) then you shouldn’t own it, and if you can’t afford a one off £90 you can’t afford a pet.

It’s easy enough to exempt a dog so there’s no excuse to get rid. It’s also a bit dramatic to be making such a fuss out of muzzling a dog…I had a muzzled dog for years and she lived a brilliant life. She honestly couldn’t have cared a jot, seeing the muzzle equaled brilliant time outside and that was that. Some people just want to stand in a field and let the dog run riot instead of finding new ways to enrich their lives and can’t be bothered with actually having to walk and mentally stimulate it.

It’s sad for those in rescue (even though some of them IMO should have already been euthanised due to safety reasons, aggression or bite histories) but at the end of the day dogs are euthanised all the time in rescue because of space or time constraints. Literally every single day! It’s not a new event that’s just happened to get rid of the XL.

I really hate humans sometimes, what's happened to society in general where everything is about image and 'trends' - looking tough with an xl bully or jumping on the latest 'fashionable' breed bandwagon , with zero regard for the actual accessories animals? It's all so thoughtless and 'must have' .