Will my dog be classed as a ‘type’?

[Worried2024]

Hi. So I have a staffie cross called Nova. She’s a lovely dog, I got her through a rescue 6 years ago and she lives happily alongside my 10 free ranging chickens, 3 cats and a wild toddler. I am concerned she will fall into the XL bully type classification because she’s large for a staffie and she obviously has bull breed characteristics. She measures in at 49cm whereas the gov.uk says a minimum of 48cm alongside a list of characteristics which I feel would fit lots of bull breeds generally speaking.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/official-definition-of-an-xl-bully-dog/official-definition-of-an-xl-bully-dog

I feel like we are in limbo and it sucks because I don’t know what to do. If we apply for an excemption then she loses her ability to walk off the lead, etc which would be a shame. She has excellent recall and I seldom require a lead so would be a big change for her. Whereas if we don’t apply and she is deemed a type, we risk losing her and her safety is paramount to us at the end of the day. Is there anyone I could go to who could clarify whether or not she would be classed as a type? I did consider a vet but I feel like they would just be reading the same guidance as me and she’s such an in-between case. Any advice? Thanks

She looks skinny and light, like a long legged stuffy.
She doesn't look broad and chunky like an XL.

@LessonsLearnedInLife is that a dog legislation officer? What’s the best point of contact? 101? No, I’ve never had a reason to muzzle train her before.

She doesn’t look like an X bully to me. She looks lovely and not at all scary. The poster who recommended varying your walks sounds like she is giving good advice.
Good luck! x

You could always walk her off lead in a field that you can hire for exclusive use. There are lots, all over the place, and many, many of us use them.

Looks like an amstaff type pit not an english staff but she doesn't look beefy enough to come under fire from the XL laws. I'd muzzle train her if I were you just incase someone reports in the future.

Fine with cats and chickens, but a danger to children. Ok 👌🏼 Seriously though, I don’t want a debate on BSL or my dog’s suitability as a family pet. You don’t know me and you’ve never met Nova. I am here to get advice on if she would be considered ‘type’ and how to navigate this shit show.

The problem is all the DLOs have different opinions and some will just ‘type’ anything.
I used to work in vet practice in Manchester years ago before all this XL bully nonsense and back then it was ‘pit bull types’ which unfortunately your dog would have got typed as a pit bull.
Many of the DLOs were absolute arseholes tbh and we euthanised countless pit bull types that were lovely, beautiful, friendly souls and half weren’t even bull breed crosses. It was utterly heartbreaking.
I don’t know what you should do. But I’m fairly certain even back then if your dog was seized there was a way of getting it back. I think it was just quite expensive which many folk didn’t have the money

I’ve been asked if she was an American staffie before. Is an American staffie a pit bull?

@Worried2024 Yes, afaik the amstaff is the show counterpart to the APBT, a bit like field line spaniels vs show line. Here's an article about it https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/american-staffordshire-terrier-history-amstaff/

She’s beautiful! I don’t think she looks like a XL Bully. I know a couple of XL’s, they are a more muscular, they have large heads, and wide chests.

Shit. Sounds horrific for the animals and heartbreaking for you. I am sorry you had to witness that. I don’t think I could have coped with that at all. The idea of her being taken and put in a strange kennel literally makes me feel sick. I feel like it would be so traumatic for her. She has never been in a kennel or crate in her life. She’s lived a life of luxury sleeping under the duvet with me.

An Amstaff is a Pitbull. Just get an exemption and insurance to be on the safe side (for her). The police in our nearby town have already confiscated an off lead Staffie X Rottie from a nearby beauty spot. Someone else I know was advised to have Staffie x Lab exempted, due to height and head width. It's one of those better to be safe than sorry scenarios.

She looks like a Labrador X staffie. She doesn't look like an XL bully

I can’t see she would be, that’s clearly not an xl bully.

i was in a pub on Friday night and someone came in with a muzzled xl bully, honestly it was huge, utterly huge. More than double the width of yours across the chest, potentially 3 times, and solid all the way through to its rear.

genuinely I’ve never seen anything like it. It can’t have weighed less than ten stone. And it was solid muscle.

It also looked highly stressed, its eyes shooting everywhere , I suspect the muzzle maybe was part of the problem, and it tried to go for another dog. The owner did manage to pull it back, and it lay down when he told it to, it was looking at me, as I was right next to it. I avoided eye contact. Even though it was muzzled.

I’ve been round dogs all my life, but 100 percent I’ve never seen anything like that before and was really shocked at rhe size of it. Right away I knew what I was looking at. An xl bully and 100 percent I’d have known that was a dangerous dog the moment I looked at it. There was no mistaking it.

yours is not in the same category.x

If she is a cross, what is she crossed with?

She does look like an amstaff to me and I think they're illegal to own in the UK?

Interesting. Thanks for sharing. She certainly has a strong fondness for people. She went into rescue due to separation anxiety, but we worked with a behaviourist snd she copes much better now with being alone at least.

No idea. She’s a rescue. They thought she was a pure bred staffie.

I saw a huge xl bully coming out of a nearby park (not muzzled) and it gave me chills, a really instinctive primal fear - like seeing an escaped lion on the street. How on earth people are willing and able to keep those things in their homes is beyond me.

She looks like a pit bull to me. So I think she's unlikely to fall foul of the XL ban, but she may be illegal in her own right?

How old is she?

I have an American bulldog cross (not an XL Bully) who could come under some of the characteristics but given he is about 10 years old and XL bullies weren’t even a thing then I think he is ok. It’s all very worrying isn’t it.

in my mind I can picture XL bullies but the legislation is so vague!

@Frasers @FlamingoPinkSunsetBoulevard

Seeing an XL bully in person really solidifies how different they are in stature and strength to almost all other dogs in the UK, doesn't it?

Nobody would stand a chance with one in attack mode. Terrifying.

And completely irresponsible for any owner to choose over all the other breeds available, especially with children in the home. Such a shit and selfish parenting decision.

Your girl doesn't look anything close to an XL bully to me OP but as someone else said she does look like an amstaff so worth looking into how best to protect her legally on that basis.

Yes I was really quite taken aback, you just know instinctively you’re at risk, that it’s dangerous, I also don’t understand anyone who has one, this one was absolutely huge and clearly very powerful. The way it tried to go for the other dog, was so fast, I can’t even imagine a few weeks ago that might have been out without a muzzle. It was the first time I actually saw for myself with my own eyes, why this law was needed.

Yes you see it immediately, it’s a very very different type of dog to anything I’ve ever, ever seen before.

You own a pitbull, but are so clueless about dogs that you didn't even know you owned a pitbull.

You've described your child as a 'wild toddler' and are exposing it to a dog that is renowned for randomly flipping out and killing children with zero warning. A breed of dog that is banned for very good reasons.

I think you need to wake up to the dangers you're imposing upon your child. Love can't undo genetics.

I would really really appreciate it if this thread didn’t turn into another XL bully bashing thread please. There are lots of responsible owners out there who are just trying to do the best for their dog. Myself included.