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Petitions and activism

To ask if you'd sign petition to ban XL bullies?

153 replies

Miajk · 11/10/2022 08:46

On the back of another thread.

Most fatal dog attacks in the UK have something in common: the breeds involved, largely XL bullies.

These dogs can weigh as much as 50-60 kg (115-135lbs roughly). Before anyone says "it's not the breed it's the owner" - in that case why do statistics clearly show it is the breeds? Why are there no fatal dog attacks involving labradors, golden retrievers, husky dogs? Even German shepherds.

There's a petition to ban them: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/618243

Most likely better for the dogs and everyone around them.

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pjparty · 09/12/2023 03:35

Lee130580 · 09/12/2023 03:04

Do you own an XL?? I'm guessing not. My XL is 7 month old and a jerk, he's playful with lots and lots of energy, he loves to meet new people ( like everybody ), he let's other people's dogs jump all over him and he's just stands there letting them, he's very protective of his house ( which any dog owner would want ), he's very loving and wants cuddles and kisses all the time. So to say its the breed of dog is so wrong. They are strong, powerful dogs with lots of love and if brought up like this jerk, there is nothing but love and affection and no danger to nobody

Nothing but love and affection.. so far

May1988 · 09/12/2023 07:44

I do not, and never would, own an XL bully. I love dogs, but I also understand that dogs are not human beings, they are dogs - and breed/genetics matter. I don't have any dog at the moment because I have a baby and a 4 year old, and I don't want the risk of small children annoying a dog that could then bite. As soon as they are older we will get a dog again, but would avoid certain breed types with a barge pole, including any bully breed.

Someone posted this previously which is a great explanation of how breed types came to be, and how we need to tailor care of our dogs accordingly..
https://www.tarynblyth.co.za/genetics-and-behaviour
It is written by a dog behaviourist who clearly loves dogs and has rottweilers herself, so it is not demonising powerful dogs, just factually explaining why certain behaviours might happen with different types of dog.
As an XL bully owner you owe it to anyone you live with, and the general public to be educated on potential risks of the breed type. Anything with Pitbull in the genes particularly has potential to want to attack/prey seek for no other reason than it wants to, and it makes it feel good. This is only the case with certain breed types like terriers and bull breeds. Other breeds are more likely to bite when defensive, scared, etc but don't maul for fun. We have seen time and time again where pitbulls maul a person or another animal to death and are reported to seem very happy and calm afterwards...that is because of their genetics, it has triggered reward centres in their brains to be bringing another animal down. This is the fault of human beings long ago, who have selectively bred these breed traits into these dogs. Not the dog's fault, but we do now need to manage risk if we own these types of dog.

Your dog is still a puppy. As they grow to maturity I hope you don't have any issues. They are clearly well loved and cared for which helps, but doesn't erase the risk and nothing ever will (you can't train and love genetics out), so I hope that you will be responsible and keep them safely contained when at home, well exercised and stimulated, on lead and muzzled in public spaces to keep the rest of us, our dogs and kids safe. If you want to own such a powerful and potentially dangerous breed, that comes with massive responsibility, which a lot of XL bully owners seem to struggle to understand. Majority of people are not going to be happy to see your dog enter a park around their kids and dogs because there is a very real risk there. If you don't like that, next time get a spaniel or a lab...

Genetics and Behaviour | kccollege

https://www.tarynblyth.co.za/genetics-and-behaviour

ejsmith99 · 09/12/2023 12:29

That is exactly the sort of deluded belief which has got us where we are. You have a terrier. Over thousands of years we have bred them to be experts at the end of the predatory sequence, grab, hang on, kill. That is what they are hardwired to enjoy. "Bully" comes from the sport of baiting bulls. This led on to dog fighting, hence pit bulls, and the dogs that gave no warning of their intentions tended to survive. How often do you hear stories of "they just turned without warning, they'd never shown any sign of being aggressive before" after attacks by bull breeds? XL bullies are stronger than the majority of people, you haven't a hope in hell of getting control back if things go wrong. And the reason we are getting a glut of fatalities is because so many people got them in lockdown and their "love bug" has become sexually mature. There are other big strong breeds, I wouldn't walk a Newfoundland past a swimming pool because their inner drive is to jump in and pull people out. Yes, organised crime groups breeding them for pretty colours and built like a sh*thouse doesn't help. Some are undoubtedly abused, but greyhounds are the most abused dogs and they aren't killing people. They are however frequently walked wearing muzzles because they are hard-wired to chase small furries. Looking on Battersea and seeing the Presa and Cane Corsos no doubt the scumbags will switch to them next. No behaviour is evil or bad, we designed dogs to do what they do, but we live in an increasingly crowded world where people are busier than ever and some breeds really aren't compatible for that because the risks are unacceptable to the majority of the community. If you want to advocate for a breed do like a lot of the malinois breeders do. State that they are not a dog for everybody, they like to bite and have an awesome intelligence and drive and be very, very picky about where they go to. Don't deny the facts and expect everyone to welcome your cuddly hippo (also one of the most aggressive and dangerous animals in the world but this seems to go past most bully owners) without seriously mitigating the considerable risks.

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