1y ago

Four hundred XL bullies put down in England and Wales since dog banned

www.theguardian.com

Figures come as neighbour of London woman killed by her animals say they warned the dogs were dangerous

Archived version: https://archive.ph/aMtoe

5 comments

They mauled their owner to death? But... but.... I thought
underneath those popping muscles and that stoic, scary face is a gentle giant – a lovable, slobbery dog that only wants to give you kisses and plenty of chill time.
https://www.bubblypet.com/american-bully-xl/
- Or they're not as nice as other breeds.
  Pit bulls are involved in more dog attacks than any other breed. In fact, the American Animal Hospital Association reports this breed was responsible for 22.5% of bites across all studies.
  https://www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/dog-attack-statistics-breed/
  Whatever the causality is, the clear picture is that if you want to avoid being bitten by a dog, avoid pits first.
- No such thing as a safe dog.
  
  I wish more people understood this. They aren’t robots and they have limits. Just like people, it’s a different limit for every dog.
Our dog is a mixed breed, big old baby at 10 years old. He's always been sweet, pulled his punches playing with tiny dogs, very soft mouth when he uses it etc. if he ever accidentally hurt one of us he'd immediately look concerned, try to lick you better etc.
But he's old now and getting cranky. I've been trying to explain to my partner that getting all up in his grill used to be playful for him, but now you can tell it's kinda pissing him off. He's started to get a bit snappy if he puts his face in his after repeatedly giving signals he doesn't want it.
I said 'don't put him in a position where he hurts you - we'll all be upset but it's going to be your fault'.
When I got a big dog I paid attention to the breeds he came from (not bully breeds but still) and made sure I learnt his visual cues. I've also made sure I've adapted as he's gotten older and his behaviours change.
I say all this because while he is my baby, he's still a large animal with a significant bite force. There's nothing historically about his breeds to worry about, but that doesn't matter. I've put a lot of effort into making sure he's safe, and my vigilance hasn't changed. He's a lovely dog, but he's a dog.
Now add a breed type with built in aggression and lock jaw. I strongly believe that the people who decide to get these dogs don't do any of the above. They're blindly playing with fire and they have no smoke alarms.
I just don't understand. If you bring a living creature into your life, you owe it to them and everyone around to make sure it can interact safely. I've watched people let their dogs almost attack mine because they haven't seen the cues. I've stepped in because I have. Like how the fuck do you not know when your dog is not happy but I can see it a mile away? It's so bloody negligent.
Anyway, big rant. But this dog would've shown signs of being on edge and that would've been bad enough with any dog. But these breeds? Why risk it?