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?

Distressing pictures like this :
Truly sickening.

Tiktok is full of videos of people bringing their dogs up here to ge rehomed. They're arriving by the dozen. I hope the Scottish government sees sense & changes the law here soon

I have seen an appeal for a rescue space for one that was transported to Scotland, it can’t stay in its new home for unspecified reasons ( I think we can hazard a guess) and is with the RSPCA and will be put down if not transferred to a rescue for “assessment”

Probably reasons like ''aggressive with other dogs and cats'' or even worse..has threatened children.

@Evenstar so the ones transported to Scotland are already being problematic and seeking a new home...
Now why isn't that a surprise?

The knee jerk ''I want to save a dog'' without thought is now coming home to roost.
The thought of a gazillion ''Likes'' on Farcebook soon pales into insignificance when one's non XL dog is threatened, or a family member is threatened, or the person simply cannot cope with a dog taken on in a moment of mad impulse.

These dogs are an absolute loose cannon.
The 'better' ones will be muzzle trained and leashed, but the dodgy ones that no one cares for will be foisted onto unsuspecting people in Scotland.

When there was calls for Greyhounds to be 'rescued' from Macau Canidrome, Charities were extremely strict about who would be allowed to adopt them- not because of the greys being dangerous, but because the experienced charities know full well about the people wanting to adopt on whim {for the heady altruism} who then run into practical problems which isn't fair on the greyhounds.

It's absolutely a knee jerk reaction. They don't want to think of the dogs being put down but aren't think of the bigger picture

What I Don't understand is there are videos of people in tears driving their dog to its new home in Scotland. If they're so heartbroken they could easily do what's necessary to follow the new legislation

I've seen some owners spending days muzzle training the dogs, they've got all the paperwork & there's no issue. Surely that's a better option than shipping your dog off - unless there's another reason, have these dogs outlived their usefulness now they can't breed

One way or another I hope the Scottish government are going to review the law here. These dogs are being sent to homes where the owners have let their heart rule their head and are probably inexperienced in dealing with a dog like this

With the volume of dogs coming up here it's just a matter of time before someone is hurt or killed

I'm glad there are some records! Even those recorded cases may only be the tip of the iceberg.

When the in-thing was defending Pitbulls as domestic pets, the party line was they had been bred to be aggressive to other dogs, but not to be aggressive to humans. I don't know enough about dogs to know whether it is plausible to breed dogs that are only aggressive to other dogs, but even if it were possible, why would that make for a great family pet? Who wants neighbours having a breed that wants to tear apart your own calm family pet?

Do they now try to avoid admitting that the latest breeds could have any relation to the dogs bred for dog-fighting?

The hysteria on this thread is something else. Here’s a snippet from sky news…

Asked if the ban will work, Dr John Tulloch's answer was simple: "No."
He is a vet and epidemiologist, also at the University of Liverpool, who researches dog-related injuries and deaths.
In the last 20 years, the number of adults needing hospital treatment after a dog bite has tripled, his research has found. The increase in dog-related injuries predates the appearance of XL bullies to the UK; the crossbreed arrived in about 2014.
"If I genuinely thought the increase over the last 20 years was all due to one dog breed, I would happily say, yeah, we shouldn't be allowing people to have this breed," he said. "But I don't believe that is the case."

In the last 20 years, the number of adults needing hospital treatment after a dog bite has tripled, his research has found. The increase in dog-related injuries predates the appearance of XL bullies to the UK

There's a wiki page that breaks down all UK fatal dog attacks by breed. In the 2010s pit bulls start featuring prominently and in the 2020s the majority are XL Bullies.

Know how many labradors are on that list?
Zero.

Needing hospital treatment for a bite is one thing, but when XL Bullies bite people wind up dead.

Of course there are lots more dog bites - there are lots more dogs!

But the fact remains that the attack by a bull breed is going to be far more catastrophic than from other breeds.

Humza better get his head out of his ass now and bring in a ban on those savage dogs before a child is ripped to shreds. Letting the country become a dumping ground for those savage dogs is just ridiculous. Just another example of the SNPs complete disregard for the safety of Scottish people.

I think it is incredibly sad, and it is the dogs who are paying the price.
Responsible owners will have already been doing muzzle training and getting the right paperwork sorted. If someone loves their dog, they will do what they need to to keep them. Obviously people losing their dogs because of tenancy agreements is something unavoidable.
I have only seen a handful of XL bullys where I live, and they have all been well behaved (and might I add, not with the stereotypical owner that gets peddled on here).
I feel for the vets in this... having to PTS healthy dogs. It must be having a huge toll on their mental health.

In USA Pit Bulls {they see no difference between XL 's and 'Pits' over there} overwhelmingly top the serious and fatal dog bites and maulings.

https://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-quick-statistics.php

Why a toll on vets’ mental health? Vets would just be despatching dogs. If a vet becomes traumatised by putting down animals they shouldn’t be a vet.

I don’t believe any vets would suffer in that way anyway. They’re not A&E doctors.

Vets become vets because they love animals and want to help them. They do not see PTS as "dispatching" dogs at all. Every animal that they see is a beloved pet. Many vets know and love their patients and journeys, and cry when that journey ends.
Do you honestly think that vets are just autonomous robots who inject stuff into animals to kill them, and go about their day after?

Are you aware of the high suicide rate in the vet profession?

This isn’t hysteria. Incidentally, a very misogynistic word to use on a predominantly female site. I think this thread has been quite fair and measured.

People have been pointing out that many XL bully owners - who proclaim to love their dogs - have shown very limited actual care and would rather dump them. Too much effort to follow the law but not too much effort to whine about it on social media. 🤷🏻‍♀️
Just goes to show they don’t have the dog for the right reasons and that the ban is needed because too many people cannot be trusted to own an XL without legal restrictions.

If my (tiny dog) breed was banned or there were legal restrictions, you best believe I’d be going above and beyond to keep my dog and adhere to the law. The difference is, my dog is beloved family pet and I made a commitment. Too many people see XL bullies purely as status symbols and they’ve ruined it for everyone else (the dogs and the sensible owners).

Any vet who cares about animals in general would be quite happy to pts these beasts, they are a danger to other animals and to humans. It is extremely doubtful these will take a toll on their mh, also they only pts animals where it is best to as a general rule so don't find it upsetting when the alternative is suffering.

@XenoBitch
I would say vets would be more traumatised trying to help the cats and dogs that have been victims of XL bully attacks.

It’s par the the course of the SNP though. They want independence and refuse to be governed by Westminster - they’re making a point aren’t they as usual to the detriment of everyone else.

I’ve posted about this before on here. Our beloved lab was attacked by an XL Bully. It ripped my dog to bits and I will never forget that attack. We’d heard about them but we’d never met one. The thing came from nowhere and no amount of battering it, kicking it, lifting its back legs up, booting its ribs, smacking it with a fence post or kicking its balls stopped the attack. My DH managed to drag it (and my dog because it wouldn’t let go) into a small river and he drowned it. He was literally lying on top of the thing to keep it under the water…. I have absolutely no shame that he drowned that thing. My dog never survived, the internal injuries were fatal. I really don’t think anyone understands the viciousness of these dogs, the power in their jaws or seeing how happy they are when attacking. We had the police out who filed a report of a dangerous dog. The bastard owner fucked back off the England and surprise surprise gave a fake address.

The Scottish government need to get their finger out as most of these dogs being rehomed up here are dangerous. Let’s face it, if you truly loved your dog you’d muzzle it, have it castrated and get exemption papers wouldn’t you? You wouldn’t just rehome a dog to Scotland for no reason.

Really?
You think vets/nurses just see XLs as "beasts"?
A happy and healthy dog is not the sort of animal they are content to PTS. They can actually refuse (and they do... some surrenders to rescue centres are from vets refusing to PTS... some even adopt the animal themselves).

But I know you from other threads. You hate dogs.

There is a difference between treating an injured animal and PTS a healthy one.

You’d be surprised at how many vets and veterinary staff view these dogs as “abominations” of animals. It doesn’t matter if it’s happy and healthy it’s the risk it poses. 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. 148 less chances of attacks imo. 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?

That's fantastic, let's hope those kinds of numbers are replicated everywhere.

I remember your very traumatising post about the vicious attack by an XL Bully on your innocent dog.

These things get a kick out of attacking other animals- Dogs, horses, cats, sheep- they get literally ''turned on'' by the act of mauling.

They are an absolute menace, and unstoppable as you say, unless one has a .45 and several rounds.

The average puny owner drawn to this type of dog doesn't have a hope in hell of controlling it should it decide to attack.

A foolish so called 'Trainer' of these things took an interviewer out with him, but the XL was focussed on other dogs and absolutely not listening to him, and his elderly foster carer neighbour had one as well ''as the foster kids can be rough with it'' ''I pacifically {sic} got the dog so she can be rough with it''

Absolutely insane.

I’d lay good money that a fair amount of the stress on vets is from the demands and behaviour of obsessive and unpleasant owners.