XL bullies and like dogs

No-one is disputing that, but what is the answer? You can bring in all the bans you want, but the kind of people who want certain types of dog as a status symbol of whatever will just ignore them. It's already proving difficult to enforce the ban on XL Bullies, because there is no definite proof of what exactly an XL bully is.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we shouldn't be trying to tackle this issue - we absolutely should - but responsible dog owners will always comply with the law, while it's the irresponsible ones who cause the problems. Bringing in an effective form of licensing would certainly help, but that is going to cost money to set up and won't solve the problem overnight.

Dogs are not angels or Stepford dogs, their characters are as varied as ours and some are placid and lovely and some are just naturally bad tempered and snappy.

Whatever the breed of dog the owner is still culpable and no amount of licensing is going to stop irresponsible humans. The law is looking at the wrong end of the lead some humans should never be allowed to look after a pot plant let alone a dog.

Grannygravey had the dog launching at you been one of these large breeds with jaws like killing machines you woukd not be here now or drinking through a straw. Young kids walk these doge more than double owners weight no one can handle them when roused, that's why they are shot. So many people have died because of them, one a man in the next village, killed by one owned by an anti social guy who owned two but let them roam, so a family man with three young children died outside his own house. these large dogs should all be banned and the owners kept from keeping an animal as they don't care, why have any animal you can’t control.

The law says these dogs have to be muzzled when in public.

From what I see in the press where they have caused death or injury it's either in the home or when they have escaped from their home and garden.

I feel so sorry for people injured by one of these escaped dogs on the rampage.

The law doesn't work in this respect.

Barleyfields

They are banned. Do you mean that every one of them, even if registered and kept in accordance with legal requirements, should pts?

Yes

rosie1959

Whatever the breed of dog the owner is still culpable and no amount of licensing is going to stop irresponsible humans. The law is looking at the wrong end of the lead some humans should never be allowed to look after a pot plant let alone a dog.

Some countries have compulsory registration schemes, and some breeds are banned, and this is totally enforced. No exceptions, no discussion. End of! And people have to pay a substantial fee per dog, per year, to run the service.

Claremont

rosie1959

Whatever the breed of dog the owner is still culpable and no amount of licensing is going to stop irresponsible humans. The law is looking at the wrong end of the lead some humans should never be allowed to look after a pot plant let alone a dog.

Some countries have compulsory registration schemes, and some breeds are banned, and this is totally enforced. No exceptions, no discussion. End of! And people have to pay a substantial fee per dog, per year, to run the service.

Switzerland is the only country in Europe that requires you to register and microchip your dog by the age of 3 months.

petra

Claremont

rosie1959

Whatever the breed of dog the owner is still culpable and no amount of licensing is going to stop irresponsible humans. The law is looking at the wrong end of the lead some humans should never be allowed to look after a pot plant let alone a dog.

Some countries have compulsory registration schemes, and some breeds are banned, and this is totally enforced. No exceptions, no discussion. End of! And people have to pay a substantial fee per dog, per year, to run the service.

Switzerland is the only country in Europe that requires you to register and microchip your dog by the age of 3 months.

This is already required by law in Scotland, England and Wales - all dogs should be microchipped by the age of eight weeks. But as anyone will tell you, you often see 'lost' dogs which either do not have a chip or the details registered on the datebase are out of date.

BlueBelle

I don’t really agree with you RosieandherMaw
Yes with dog behaviour in general can certainly be the owner but these dogs are bred to have the strength of a bulldozer and the jaws from hell if one of these lock on, you need a circus strongman to prise the jaw open
They should be banned completely (they are a man made breed anyway) no dog over a certain size and weight should be out without being on a leash and muzzled at all times.

Hear ruddy hear, BlueBelle, if it wasn't for my husband both I and my poor old dog would have been severely injured!
The damn thing just attacked, no warning.
I am still very wary & will not walk dogface on my own anymore. 🤔

' it's not the dog it's the owner' what utter rubbish !!! What planet are these dog defending people on!

But the fact remains that you could have two dogs of the same breed (not talking about banned breeds here), one with a responsible owner who has trained it fully, complies with every law and regulation, so the dog is no bother to anyone, while the other has an irresponsible owner who couldn't care less, or worse, has trained it to be aggressive and therefore a danger to everyone. So a great deal does depend on the owner.

RosieandherMaw

Ots not the dog, *it's the owner*

XL bullies were bred specifically to be intimidating and potentially dangerous. Presumably that’s why they’re favoured by thugs.

My partner came back from walking the dog in tears yesterday. Someone had come out of a house and said to him how relieved he must be that the people that owned the Staffie that ran out of its garden and tried to kill our dog had moved out ( when it happened the man had watched it unfold and told him that the dog had tried to kill another dog the week before which is when we got the police involved)He said it brought it all back to him, how he’d had to fight the dog off and he couldn’t stop shaking. I know Staffies are, in general, nice dogs, but these bull breeds all have jaws bred to bite and kill. Although the dog in question didn’t escape from it’s garden again it was still walked round the village muzzle free.

I love all animals. Dogs are wonderful. I take care of a lot of them and enjoy their company. I believe that dogs have "a job" to do as a companion, sometimes a doorbell, a hottie and emotional support. However, when a dog - regardless of the breed - is a nuisance in the home, out of the home, and a danger in the neighborhood, it is no longer a pet. It is an animal and is not doing a good job as a companion.

It would be difficult for me to protect myself from an angry Chihuahua. I would be bleeding but I might live. I love Jack Russells (my fav) but those can be dangerous too. But to protect myself from an eager XL Bully would be literally impossible because I am a lowly human and don't carry readily available weapons to make the fight fair.

Keeping an XL Bully in your home is similar to keeping a friendly lion in your home. I believe dogs should be companions and not a liability. Dogs get out by accident ALL of the time!

Vicious dogs and stupid people
it's a lethal combination!
The world has gone mad!
Growing-up the scariest dogs used to be Alsations, they seem like poodles now compared with some of the horrors I've met in the last 3yrs. 😶

Certain dogs often appeal to certain owners. All dogs have been bred to specific characteristics. Temperment and the dimensions and power of the body and jaw are a bred characteristic. People really must stop lying to themselves that we would be losing something allowing a breed of dog to die out. They were bred that way and should no longer be needed.

It’s like Groundhog Day. Nothing will ever change until the government listen to experienced parties such as animal charities and welfare organisations. They have repeatedly told the government what needs to happen but they are ignored because of ill informed and knee jerk reactions. The problem has never been, nor ever will be, the dogs, with rare exceptions. It is entirely down to the owners. Most of the poor dogs that have been pts have lived in the most awful circumstances. Breeders and potential owners should be subject to strict conditions and registration. Until that happens I 100% guarantee you that we will see threads like this for years to come. Idiot breeders just change features so that new litters don’t fall foul of the law (ie bred with different features/measurements). It’s really not hard to understand!

Some dogs like some people have bad tempraments and these can be aggravated by bad conditions.

Having been attacked by dogs that had to be muzzled when walked, Ok, I wasn't bitten just badly bruised, my view on the issue is rather jaundiced.

All dogs have been bred to specific characteristics
Well that’s not true Luminance I’ve always owned mongrels or cross breeds I ve no idea what term I must use to make sure I don’t insult any dogs
My last dog was the most gentle beautiful well mannered little lady who was a Heinz57 she was kind unassuming and very gentle whilst being fun she asked nothing of me except food water love and walks

The next dog to watch out for is a Cane Corso. They are an Italian mastiff used as a guard dog or to protect livestock. They are a very frightening dog and you won't forget it if you see one. Just Google it. Currently they have no restrictions or banning orders and I imagine they will be the next up and coming status dog for drug dealers and criminals.

Just looked up Cane Corso. Having one of these dogs must be like having a lion in your living room.

My daughter had her husband have a Cane Corso - he is a rescue dog and yes, when they first said they were getting him, I did wonder what they were taking on, but he's just a big soft lump. Loves cuddles on the couch and his soft toys. But yes, I think they will be the next breed to be demonised by the media, unfortunately. I remember when it was German Shepherds which were the 'big, bad dogs', then it was the Doberman, then the Rottweiler. Where would it end? Time to address the problem at the other end of the lead - the irresponsible owners.

I think all dogs can turn nasty and be dangerous, but obviously some dogs are bred to be vicious.
A good friend of mine has always had Westies, her last one died in November. She admits she wasn’t yet ready for another one but on New Years Day Westie rescue contacted her to take on a dog where it’s owner had died. She felt pressured to do so.
She wasn’t told not to touch the dogs paws (he hates it) but one day drying the dog he attacked her so badly she was hospitalised for almost a week, had general surgery on her arm and may lose some feeling in hand and arm.
She won’t return the dog as she keeps saying it was her fault but I am so worried it attacks her again or another person/child on walks.
He is a beautiful dog and my granddaughter keeps asking to see him - no way now.

Shelflife

' it's not the dog it's the owner' what utter rubbish !!! What planet are these dog defending people on!

What planet are people who defend irresponsible owners on?

I won’t waste my breath going into all the reasons (some) dogs attack, but absence of training and control feature high on my list.
It’s the owner who is the grown up here.