Xl bullies

[StrangerThings1992]

Let me start by saying I don't think all these type of dogs are bad but I do have massive anxiety over them, especially when a fatal attack is in the news. I was diagnosed with OCD and GAD so I do tend to obsess over things and catastrophise everything but, everytime I'm out lately I seem to be on the alert thinking an off leash one is going to come and maul my kids and how powerless I would be to stop it.
I like dogs in general but I just feel so uneasy if I ever see one out and I'm with my kids. Even if it's on a lead it still makes me feel sick. I realise this may be an over reaction but I can't help it.
I even stopped my 9 year old going to her best friends house because they got one of these dogs. She works all the time so it's left alone most the day and I felt like she wasn't safe so she's no longer allowed there.

If there's any dog experts here, what would be the best way to protect yourself and your child if this situation did happen?

Not a chance in hell would I allow my child near one.
I have a horrible suspicion that I might have done though before I knew what they were though 😕

I wouldn't allow my DD to go to a house which had an XL bully. For that, I don't think you're overreacting.

I think this is an old wives tail. I also think I trying to do so, you would only end up having to a)bend down towards the attacking and b) expose formerly your arms and hands up attack and latterly your face and neck.

Good idea, better than nothing hopefully

I own a large breed of dog, a Great Dane. I get very nervous when I see bully type dogs out on walks and often wonder what we'd do if one set up on my dog. Many owners are compliant with the use of a muzzle but some arnt and I do see lots of other large, seemingly poorly controlled dogs about that worry me, invariably pulling on a collar, which lacks the control of a halti/head collar.

Many years ago when my DC were small, we used to have to pass a house on the way to their nursery/primary school where there was a snarling, barking German shepherd chained up in a garden. He used to strain at the lead every time we passed. I used to have nightmares that it would break free and attack them. And I am not generally an anxious person.

So I do understand your fears and absolutely I would not let a child into the home of an xl bully. No way. Honestly imo I think the law should have made it illegal to have them in a house with children. So I think a lot of your fears are genuine. But at the same time. The chances of any of you being attacked out and about are tiny.

Oh God that sounds awful! I replied to a previous comment and said my Nan had German shepards, although hers were really nice well trained dogs, I can still see how people would be scared off them! Especially a chained up pissed off one!

Yeah I realise the chances are tiny. My OCD caused me to put masking tape all over the vents in a flat I used to live in because I'd saw a story on the news about 2 boys in America that were killed when a neighbours python escaped through the vents and strangled them both and I became convinced the same was going to happen. My neighbours didnt even have snakes 😅 So I know I have a tendency to overreact and be obsessive with things, it's just hard when there seems to be a new story every other day about a mauling or a fatal attack from an xl.

Absolutely the correct decision to not allow your child to go to a house where there is one of these dogs.Its one of my fears for people who let their children go to a house with one of these dogs.

These dogs need to be eradicated from the face of the earth to be honest. It's not kind, it's not fair- and idgaf anymore. Eliminate them as a breed. They are unfixable.

I absolutely HATE these dogs. I also have anxiety about what I would do if I encountered one. Let's just say I have taken steps to protect myself, my child, my dogs.

As for not allowing your child go to her friends house....well yes, quite clearly this is the right decision!

I wouldn't have anything to do with anybody who owned one of these things either.

I also don't think you are unreasonable to stop your dd visiting a house with an XL bully in it. I think your fears when out and about are probably over-zealous, we are all out and about with these dogs, and I don't think about this all the time or take evasive action, I would cross the street though, absolutely.

This is the kind of absolute fool who should be in prison for criminal stupidity. I'm only half joking.

and as for all the people who wail "it's not the breed, it's the terrible owner" are talking complete shite.

They just don't want to face reality.

It absolutely is the breed. In fact I feel the same about most bull breeds.

Yeah I agree with this too. All breeds have certain traits that cant be trained out of them.

YANBU, me and my elderly rottie had our first encounter with an XL bully at the weekend on the beach, prior to this I was of the opinion that it’s the owner not the dog due to rotties having had a bad rap years ago, my rottie is my 4th and all have been gentle souls, I’ve since changed my mind, after busy sniffing each other the bully had a change of heart and lunged at my girl and quite frankly it was terrifying.

It’s not an old wives tale, it’s appliance of physics. The shoulder joints are a weak point if you force the solid structure of your skeleton between them with explosive force you will cause significant damage.
At the point that they are bearing down on you there is no choice left but to close the distance.
You can’t out run them so the only chance you’ve got is to get too close, charge at them with your head down and try and disable them.
This isn’t some made up opinion this is the advice we were given by an expert level self defence instructor when someone asked this very question in class

As I said the main draw back is that most of the population wouldn’t be quick enough in the heat of the moment.

The same applies to the whole pepper spray idea, do you really think with 80+kg of dog bearing down on you that you’re going to think ‘Oh thank goodness I packed my pepper spray today!’ remember where you stored it, find it in your bag, get it out, get the protective cap off, aim it accurately and fire it effectively before that dog closes the distance?

No chance. That’s why they’ve had to ban them.

Whether you believe about more than 50 % of all XL’s in the country are related to Killer Kimbo is up to you.However Kimbo itself is a direct descendant of the dogs of John P Colby’s fighting dogs in America and other fighting dogs.

I didn't worry about other dogs at all until my own dog was attacked by a loose Rottveiler whilst she was on a lead being held my my DS. It was a very scary moment and I shouted at DS to drop the lead.

Fortunately for us, our dog (softie Newfoundland) retaliated by badly ripping the ear of the attacking dog and it ran back inside its own house. I visited the owner of the Rottie the next day and she said that the Rottie needed stitches to re-attach the ear - thankfully our dog was not badly hurt and my DS was just shocked but it could have been a very different outcome. I think the owner of the Rottie learned an important lesson. After that, I never saw that Rottie off lead again.

I wouldn't go near an XL bully and definitely wouldn't let my DC go to their house.

I know. Dogs that are kept in and hardly walked are not likely to be placid when they're out, seeing lots of people and other dogs.

Awful creatures. I wouldn't care if they all got put down tomorrow. I certainly wouldn't let my kids into a house with one.

Oh yeah, wasn't he the guy who peddled all of this 'Nanny dog' bullshit and then one of his pitbulls mauled his nephew to death?

Stopping your child going to a house with an XL bully there isn’t a function of your anxiety, it’s a completely sensible choice! I don’t suffer from anxiety or OCD but I’ve crossed the road, taken a different route or changed train carriage to avoid them before, even ones on leads.

If you need to get one of these dogs off someone else, grab the dogs collar and twist it 360 in your hand - like you're turning a ratchet. It will tighten the dogs collar and restrict it's air, meaning it will pass out. Keep it like that for a beat to make sure tge dog is actually knocked out and then get to safety and call the police.

Let's hope none of us even need to use that information.

It isn't an overreaction at all, you're being sensible. It really annoys me when the evangelists for these animals try to pretend they can ever be safe to be around. They're just not. They've been bred for aggression and are insanely strong. I wouldn't let my kid go into a house with any bull terrier type dog, honestly, as before XLs were on the scene fatal attacks from these kinds of dogs were still all too common. I cross the road any time I see an XL whether I'm with my kid or not. They're unpredictable and it's just not worth the risk. This isn't anxiety, it's just having a sense of self preservation and not being a brainwashed fool.

My instinct would be to stick your thumbs or fingers deep in its eyes if it attacked