Alvaston XL Bully owner says he’s ‘furious’ with ban as his dog ‘just …

On Tuesday (October 31) the UK Government^[1] announced that XL Bully-type dogs are to be banned after a spate of attacks in recent months causing politicians, such as Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, to voice their concerns. Earlier this month we launched a poll^[2] in which we invited our readers to vote on whether the breed should be banned. Out of nearly 1000 votes, 53 per cent of our audience agreed that the breed, which emerged following experimentation with the DNA of various bully breeds in the 1980s, should be banned.

The new legislation from the Government^[3] states that from Sunday, December 31, the "breeding, selling, advertising, rehoming, abandoning and allowing of an XL bully dogs to stray will be illegal." XL bullies will also be required to be kept on a lead in public spaces and owners are advised to stop mating these types of dogs now in preparation for it being a criminal offence to rehome them.

On February 1, 2024, the legislation will be tightened and it will become illegal to own an XL Bully if it is not registered on the Index of Exempted Dogs. By doing this, the Government has said they are giving "current owners of this breed time to prepare for these new rules". When included on the list of exempted dogs, owners are also expected to microchip, muzzle and neuter any XL Bully-type dogs.

POLL: Should the XL bully breed be banned?^[4]

From February 1, any owners with an XL bully found without a certificate of exemption will face a criminal record and an unlimited fine, as well as a chance that the dog could be seized. This has caused outrage among owners of the breed across the nation, with many XL Bully-keepers saying that the dog is being unfairly singled out^[5].

Sean Adam, 34, says that his three-year-old XL Bully, Remynikki, named after his late cousin, is "soft" and "wouldn't harm anyone" and Sean is "furious" that he will be forced to keep her on a lead and wearing a muzzle from 2024 onwards. The Alvaston^[6] resident, who works from home as a salesman, added: "I have friends with kids, she's so soft around them. She won't jump on them, won't hurt them at all, she might just give them a kiss if they let her, but that's it."

Sean, who goes by the name "Viking" to his friends, added: "I just find it stupid that they can single one dog breed out. If one human does something bad we're not going to ban all humans, are we? I'm particularly annoyed to find that Rishi Sunak has a golden labrador, which is the same dog breed that bit my hand and left me with a huge scar, why aren't they being banned, they are just as capable of injuring someone as the XL's are.

"They need to concentrate on who the owners are, how they train their dog and what environment the dog is in. If you leave a dog by itself for long periods of time it will not get the chance to understand humans and socialise with people. That's when a dog can turn nasty.

See More: 'Mindless vandalism' causes 'extreme damage' to Spondon park play area^[7]

"I've never seen an XL bully misbehave. It's hard to describe the love I have for them. I've never seen one attack anyone or any other dogs. I take Remy off the lead all the time and she stays by my side, these dogs have such a good temperament and I think it's ridiculous that they are trying to ban them. I'm furious."

In September, a viral video emerged of an XL Bully-type breed terrorising the streets^[8] of the Bordesley Green area in Birmingham. This led the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, to post a tweet that read: "This is appalling. The American XL Bully is a clear and lethal danger to our communities, particularly to children. We can’t go on like this. I have commissioned urgent advice on banning them."

Following the incident in September, Derbyshire Live spoke to the Yappy Ever After rescue shelter in Hatton, Derbyshire, about whether they believed the breed should be banned. A spokesperson from the shelter added: "I do not believe they should be banned as this would lead to innocent dogs being killed who have done absolutely nothing wrong.

"I have nothing against the breed. My opinion is that they should be phased out because I think their lives are inextricably linked to a life without any other quality [other than aggression]. They often line dog pounds and rescue shelters and, now, many rescues are too scared to house any XL Bullys due to the bad press they receive.

"I do not understand how people can let the breed continue to be mistreated and born into such worrying and dangerous futures. If they can be phased in, they can be phased out, but we certainly should not have a knee-jerk reaction of going around and seizing all XL Bullys".

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References

1. ^{^} UK Government (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)
2. ^{^} we launched a poll (xd.wayin.com)
3. ^{^} legislation from the Government (www.gov.uk)
4. ^{^} POLL: Should the XL bully breed be banned? (xd.wayin.com)
5. ^{^} saying that the dog is being unfairly singled out (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)
6. ^{^} Alvaston (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)
7. ^{^} 'Mindless vandalism' causes 'extreme damage' to Spondon park play area (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)
8. ^{^} XL Bully-type breed terrorising the streets (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
9. ^{^} the main Derbyshire Live newsletter here (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)