Posted on 02/04/2024 5:12:21 PM PST by nickcarraway
A ban on American XL bully dogs came into effect Thursday in England and Wales after a spate of violent attacks. Owners now must apply for an exemption, which requires proof of neutering and liability insurance, if they want to keep their pets. All XL bullies must be muzzled and kept on a leash in public.
Before 2021, there were only about three fatal dog attacks per year in the U.K. Since 2021, however, there have been at least 23, many of which have involved American XL bullies, according to CBS News partner network BBC News.
"These dogs aren't cared for by the breeders — they just want money — so from the greed at the start (and) irresponsible ownership in the middle, we've got children dying," Emma Whitfield, whose 10-year-old son was killed by an American XL bully in 2021, said last September.
"My youngest son started comprehensive school last week, and he should have had his big brother showing him the ropes, but he's had to do it on his own. We're missing a massive piece of our family," Whitfield added.
What is an American XL bully?
An American bully is not identified by the U.K. Kennel Club as a specific dog breed. Rather, it is a type of bulldog that is the result of mixing several dog breeds, including Pit Bulls, American Bulldogs, and English Bulldogs.
The U.K. government published guidance to help identify the dogs in which it describes them as having "a muscular body and blocky head, suggesting great strength and power for [their] size."
Before the addition of American XL bullies, the selling, owning, breeding and abandoning of four other dog breeds was illegal in the U.K.: the Pit bull terrier, the Dogo Argentino, the Japanese Tosa and the Fila Brasileiro.
If someone has a dog that is one of these breeds, it can be taken by police, even if there have been no complaints against it.
Difficult to enforce
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to ban American Bully XLs in September 2023 after 52-year-old Ian Price was attacked and killed by two of the dogs. Members of the public attempted to help Price but were unable to get the dogs off of him.
Mark Hobrough, a police chief from the U.K.'s National Police Chiefs' Council, said the new ban would create "logistical challenges" for officers by sparking an increased demand for kennel space ahead of court rulings on whether dogs should be euthanized.
Over 35,000 dogs in the U.K. are already registered for American XL bully exemptions.
no ... they eat them ...
” It is God’s gift that Chihuahuas are a small breed.”
If they were the size of a Pit, a Shepherd, or a lab, society would have to shoot them on sight. It would be like having feral tigers walking around.
That's crazy.
You should be 6'4 male, 250 lb living in the country. Your pit bull(s) should see you as an alpha.
Otherwise, no one should have them.
Yes, that is usually the contingent within white trash and white libs.
No one can control these things when they want to go ballistic.
That’s with the vast majority of any breed with guard or aggressive tendencies; from the very FIRST day you MUST establish dominance and keep that position AT ALL TIMES. Too many people that get these types of dogs are just plain LAZY.
They should get golden retrievers by default. That's a docile breed. I've never met an aggressive golden retriever.
“House hippos”
That dog’s got terrible gingivitis.
In England, a father of 6 just died a few days after being attacked by a pack of 3 pit bulls. The dogs have been put down since, but there’s now 6 fatherless kids. All the guy was doing was walking down the street.
“Before 2021, there were only about three fatal dog attacks per year in the U.K. Since 2021, however, there have been at least 23, many of which have involved American XL bullies, according to CBS News partner network BBC News.”
No surprise there.
They can’t even agree on what this dog actually is. Just a bunch of subjective criteria.
The Brits a stupid.
L
On Saturday an elderly lady got killed by two of these dogs while visiting a relative who it seems was breeding them.
She was told to use a broom to distract the puppies if they got boisterous but when she did it the two adult dogs mauled her.
A pre teen kid managed to escape the house and call the alarm.
This happened in Essex - a county notorious for posers with scary dogs that need to be on chains when walked, organised crime, fake suntan, vajazzles and thick people on reality TV.
The chavviest town in the chavviest county is Jaywick. It could be the southeast’s poshest town but it’s about as classy as a trailer park for teenage moms surrounded by carnies and pikeys.
LOL RE: the Chihuahuahs!
Heh, I was thinking more towards basset hounds. Lazy begets lazy. The other breeds we were talking about though, they can be very good, sociable and even kind dogs, it just takes a strong hand and consistent reminders.
I have a Rottie. If you walk onto my property and she's out (and never leashed), be prepared to be licked into submission.
It's all about how they're raised & trained.
The article clearly explains what they are.
If I weren’t an avid daily reader of the DailyMail, I might not have understood the britslang in much of your post; but thank you for the warning on behalf of those of us who travel to UK.
How are you getting along here on FR with our slang terms for low-class, trashy or street criminal folks? Well, I hope. I’m always available for English-to-English translation.
No, it doesn’t.
“The U.K. government published guidance to help identify the dogs in which it describes them as having “a muscular body and blocky head, suggesting great strength and power for [their] size.”
French Bulldogs and Boston Terriers both fit this description. “Suggesting”?? Really? This makes you anti-breed people sound like Sarah Brady. Do you know why? Because you do.
This whole argument is akin to gun control. “Pistol grips and the stock thingy that goes up” and all that crap.
Mrs L nearly died a few years back from a single dog bite on her finger. It was a Jack Russell Terrier.
Hold the owners accountable. There’s a concept for ya.
L
Thank you for that highly scientific demographic analysis.
ROTFLOL
Any 65 lb dog if it goes off the rails is dangerous.
Someone who’s been attacked by a dog that size of any breed will tell you that
There are huge number of practical realities that are being ignored when it’s talked about banning the terrier breeds.
One additional reality that is ignored is that the people who train dogs to be dangerous aren’t going to go away. Neither will ignorant and irresponsible dog owners. They are indeed the problem. They will simply move to another breed and train it to do the same thing.
The Egyptians used full size poodles as guard dogs and they were quite effective.
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