Baby - MIL - XL Bully

[Koala98]

MIL has an XL Bully at her house, AIBU to say baby can never visit while the dog is on the property even if shut in a different room or garden?

All irrelevant.

If the dog decides to kill the baby - impossible to predict or discount, because bullies have a very low frustration tolerance - no-one will be able to stop that happening.

Oh god, I'm so sorry.

How does that make a difference? These beasts kill fully grown adults. If it decides to go for your baby, you have no chance stopping it.

Hard no. Baby and dog never in the same place. In fact, I wouldn't be going anywhere near a house where there is such a dangerous animal either.

You’re not being unreasonable for not being a complete mindless Russian roulette playing idiot, no.
People seem to be in the dark about what these dogs actually do, to grown adults. Let alone babies. I don’t recommend looking it up. It’s utterly, utterly nightmarish.
I assume it’s ignorance, anyway. Because otherwise I don’t understand how XLs haven’t all be rounded up and destroyed. It’s fucking madness to own one or to allow anyone you love near one.

Does MIL live in Scotland, England, Wales or Ireland ?

As they are a banned breed in all of these Countries

so I hope she has registered it etc as required before the Laws were passed.

NO

I wouldn't even visit MIL with that breed in the house / garden
never mind my baby !!!

How old is the dog, did she have him/her whilst your dh lived there or not.

What does he think ?

Absolutely this. You only need to read the recent thread where the poster had shut her aggressive dog in another room and visiting 4 year old walked in and got badly bitten. Best to set the boundary early and don’t take risks.

But OP doesn’t trust the MIL to keep the dog away from the baby.

The Jack Russell would have already scarred or killed the baby’s before you can stop it.

For an older child, the dog breed would perhaps matter.

In this scenario, it absolutely doesn’t.

Are you saying an XL is not ok to be left around a baby but a Rottweiler is just because it’s not a banned breed?

The issue here is that OP doesn’t trust the MIL to keep the dog away and that MIL can’t be trusted to keep the baby safe.
The breed of the dog is irrelevant.

No- my children would never visit. I’m not clear on the law- is it legal? If not, I’d also report her.

Agree with this - I wouldn’t allow a baby around any dog unsupervised (and I mean properly supervised, not just in a room with an adult) but if it is a bouncy or jumpy dog I wouldn’t allow it around a baby at all (yes, even if it is being “friendly”) and there are certain breeds it would be a hard no - Rottweiler, Cane Corso etc.

My Dad and Brother have a Rotweiller that they take turns looking after. About a year ago I took DD5 to my Dad’s whilst it was there. My DD was scared and spent the whole time sitting on the kitchen worktop. I asked my Dad to put it outside which he made a fuss of doing but did and then within a few minutes it was back in the kitchen. I don’t think that the dog is aggressive more boisterous and poorly trained, won’t do what it’s told. Saying that, it’s an animal and can’t be trusted 100%

I vowed to only take DD to my Dad’s house if the dog isn’t there after that day and have stuck to my guns. I wouldn’t even go to a house with an XL let alone take a child

I'm a huge dog lover but we've bread these dogs for their aggression and strength. I don't blame the dogs but it's in their temperament to attack and even a well trained dog can suddenly turn.

I wouldn't let my child be near a XL Bully and honestly don't think I'd want to be near one myself.

@RapunzelHadExtensions your post made my blood run cold. What an awful experience.

I'm currently not in the UK and the other day, we went to somebody's house and they had a dogo Argentina (extremely dangerous breed, banned in the UK). Absolutely could not get my three year old away from it fast enough. The owners were doing the usual 'oh she's soft as anything. She protects our toddler etc etc'.

Nope nope nope. I will not risk it, it's never worth it. These dogs are banned for a reason.

i wouldn’t be going into the house let alone a baby.

Would never ever visit a house with an XL bully, let alone with my child.

@Koala98 I agree OP. I'm not sure why MIL could not have opted for a normal pet, instead of a chav dog.

My little labradoodle was seriously injured from one last year while sitting in our garden.
The XL jumped over a fence separating them and swung her around by her neck like a rag doll.
It eventually dropped her and we rushed our dog to the animal hospital where she was treated and thankfully made a full recovery after several weeks.The bullie was pts the following day.

I own a xl and while she’s great with kids I have boundaries in place for her around them. No unsupervised at all no very young children and when she is around children she’s got her muzzle on and either myself or partner had a firm hold of her leash. She’s got her exempt certificate. I’m having another baby and have started playing baby crying noises around her to get used to the sound but I honestly wouldn’t let my kids around other big breed dogs because I don’t know what training or behaviour they have

I wouldn't even want to walk past a house with an XL bully living there, let alone go in the house myself. No way would I ever entertain my children or babies going in there. There is an excellent article somewhere (I can't find it now) which explains the genetic issues with XL bullies that turn them into killing machines. It's nothing to do with bad owners or bad dogs, they have been breed with a genetic abnormality which turns them into literal psycho dogs.

Your post is measured and reasonable so I don’t want to pile on but I would like to ask you why you bought one of these dangerous dogs when you could have just had a normal pet?

I agree!
I was hoping the lack of news lately meant that people had come to their senses and they had all been destroyed.

I'd be cautious with any dog and my baby.

My SIL's dog is a small terrier - I'd particularly not trust it. It's bitten/gone for almost everyone in the family at some point.

We've all suggested dog training etc - but she's 'just nervous'

Fortunately no children in the wider family - yet.

You may as well just sub lion or tiger with xl !

No not at all. Never feel bad for causing a bit of awkwardness or making someone miffed if it comes down to the safety of your child. No is a full sentence and nobody gets to question it when it comes to YOUR child

Why? Why would you ever risk it?

Why have a dog that you have to have barriers between it and humans?

And that's a strange description of being 'good with kids'

At home, will it be permanently muzzled? With a lead on?

I question the overall judgement of anyone who chooses to own such a pet.

So as well as not visiting myself (never mind with a small child) I also wouldn’t let them visit the child unsupervised without the dog.