The XL Elephant in The Room – Let’s reserve our judgement on responsible dog owners with limited options
Many, many thousands of dog owners are going to be judged harshly over the coming months as a result of the impending XL Bully legislation.
Let’s not sugarcoat it – some owners with questionable morals (if any) will undoubtedly deserve such judgement. You know the ones. The irresponsible breeders with zero interest in the welfare of their dogs. The ones that are going to cut their losses ASAP now that they can’t make any money off the poor things.
The ones who will dump them, abandon them or jump at the chance to collect a bit of money for killing their now ‘useless’ dog. But this piece isn’t about them. It is about the responsible, loving owners. The ones who have found themselves caught up in this chaos genuinely through no fault of their own. The ones who are going to have to make an impossibly difficult choice about the future of their dog despite doing everything right.
Their dogs may even already be chipped, neutered, muzzled and walked on a lead. Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that these measures may simply not be enough.
As such, we should reserve our judgement on the owners who will have no choice but to say goodbye to their beloved pets.
Euthanasia will always be a contentious subject, but many dog owners, even the responsible ones, may be coming to the heart wrenching realisation that it might be the best option for their poor dog.
Fundamental flaws
First of all, this legislation is not exclusive to so-called ‘XL Bullies.’ One of the fundamental flaws in the legislation is the fact that many other dogs will fall into this ‘type,’ regardless of their actual breed / mix of breeds, purely on measurements and physical characteristics.
Thousands of owners will register their dogs for an exemption certificate, understandably in an effort to avoid them being seized by the police. This means adhering to the aforementioned restrictions, such as muzzling and neutering. Most owners won’t really have an issue with these rules if it means keeping their dog safe.
However, beneath the surface these are not the only limitations they will face. If a dog is registered as exempt, this also means that they will no longer be entitled to any medical insurance.
Any existing conditions, and of course any emergencies that arise, will have to be paid fully out of pocket.
Responsible owner or not, the right to medical insurance being stripped away from them will mean that a dog may face euthanasia due to the financial implications of this ban.
Furthermore, these dogs will not be allowed to be rehomed or surrendered to a rescue, so again the owners are faced with two options – let the dog continue to suffer, or say goodbye permanently.
Similarly, those who rent a home or happen to have a change of circumstance and find themselves having to move into alternative accommodation may find that their landlords or housing rules do not allow banned breeds. Again, these dogs are not allowed to be rehomed with anyone else so owners will be faced with some incredibly limited options.
Behavioural issues
Finally, it is an unfortunate truth that a small minority of dogs (of any breed) do have significant behavioural issues. There are many dog owners that have rescued their dog from dire situations which will have had lifelong effects on them.
Occasionally these behavioural issues do come down to genetics or neurological conditions. Either way, owners may have spent thousands of pounds and endless hours on training over the years, along with various medications, trying to rectify these issues to no avail.
Of course, loving owners would never give up on their troubled canine friends so they may have plodded along so far, managing these issues through implementing their own precautions and management techniques along with continued training.
While the process of obtaining a certificate of exemption has not yet been released, it is reasonable to assume that a behavioural assessment will be included somewhere along the line.
If that is the case, the owners who have taken on extra responsibilities and precautions, and have proven that they can keep their dogs out of trouble and without incident, will be concerned that their dog might fall below the accepted threshold during a behaviour assessment with a complete stranger in an unfamiliar and distressing environment.
They may not be willing to set their dog up to fail in such a way due to the stress it would cause for the dog. Heartbreakingly, many will be wondering if taking control of the situation now before any such distress can take place might be the kinder option for their dog.
Limited options
Many, many responsible dog owners will be finding themselves weighing up their limited options over the next few months. The vast majority of them will have no interest in the £200 blood money (“compensation”) that the government are offering to euthanise their beloved companion.
Unfortunately, some may be in a situation where putting their dog to sleep seems like their only option. The very least that the rest of us can do is hold off our judgment and extend compassion towards the owners trying to consider what the best option is for them and their dog, when so much choice will have already been taken away from them.
However incomprehensible the decision is for those of us outside the situation, it will be so much worse for these owners and their dogs.
This article was submitted by a dog owner who didn’t want to be named for fear of possible repercussions.
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I have only once owned a dog, a cheerful little collie-setter cross. She was definitely not a danger to anyone, exceptionally sweet-tempered, possibly the happiest creature I have ever known, daft, intelligent, eager to please and bursting with energy. But… and it is a big but… she was a very serious commitment of time and energy. I had her perfectly trained to both voice and hand signals. She would walk down a busy street without tugging at the lead. She would run until she was a dot in the distance across the Common, then come back to a whistle. She… Read more »
dogs found without a microchip to be destroyed immediately, are you insane, humans wrong doing and the dog suffers, you heartless monster
Not heartless, no, but not wet-minded and sentimental either. In matters of public safety, being soft-headed is actually evil.
And there we have it, your view on the XL Bully ,your description of a fighting dog. No dog is born to fight, it’s the owners that train them to become aggressive. It sounds as you were very lucky to have such a obedient and loyal dog. But then you are part of the problem that you walked your dog off lead. Some dogs have nervous reaction to others especially over friendly dogs.
Always on the lead on the street, off the lead on a broad open common because she had to run, not just walk. As for “no dog is born to fight”, sorry, you’re wrong. Some breeds are bred as fighting dogs. The training they get certainly exaggerates their genetic heritage, but they are bred for aggression in the first place. BTW I wasn’t just “lucky” to have a good dog. I took great care over her training and put a lot of time into her welfare. That investment paid off in the dog I had. But I get the impression… Read more »
As I said not born to fight but bred to fight as you pointed out correctly, being born and being bred are 2 different things. Are Humans born to be aggressive? No, it something that happens in their upbringing which is the same for all mammals and yes we are mammals too.
*Bred and trained from a young age to fight
I have to disagree with you your points are correct about dog ownership and responsibility, but all animals are animals ,can I ask is your cat a house cat or do you allow it out ??I’m not an expert on cat breeds so unsure if it’s an outdoor or indoor one .But a cat found it’s way into my property and scratched my dogs eyes i had 2 samll Westies at the time ,which went severly infected ,so do you really know what your cat is up too,when out and about ?? I now own a Bully and she is… Read more »
Cat is a Maine, which is the largest breed of domestic cat and she is big even by the breed standard. But fortunately completely non-aggressive. Maines are known as the gentle giants of the cat world. She does go out but I doubt if she goes far outside the garden. Females don’t range far. It’s the toms that wander. If she met a dog she would flee. If a dog cornered her it might be the worse for the dog. She would be capable of seeing off anything up to the size of a collie. But fortunately that has never… Read more »
It’s the owners that are the Elephant in the room.
Nobody needs such big, powerful and relative to other breeds dangerous dogs.
Neither does anyone need a toy breed of dog or Afghan hound as a fashion accessory.
Nor does anyone need a dog of a breed that has been bred so that it is basically disabled or needs surgery just to breath like English bulldogs.
Owners of such dogs should “come clean” and explain why they really want to own such dogs rather than one from of the numerous other breeds available.
Breeds are based on criteria of appearance rather than genetic testing although obviously there is a genetic basis for any breed. The kennel club is talking nonsense to say that XL Bully dogs are not a breed – they are a breed yet their authority has not been stamped on any criteria. As they have been bred by enthusiasts who desire behavioural characteristics such as aggression they are more likely than some other dogs to attack. Because they are powerful this makes them extremely dangerous. In most urban areas keeping a dog is expensive and most people do not have… Read more »
Also the fact they have been created by mixing American pit bulls with other large powerful breeds.
If the current law on banned breeds was upheld these dogs would not be as popular today as it states pitbulls and pitbull mixes are banned. Yet here we are.
Knee jerk populist reaction to a series of nasty events. Any authority trying to sort the violent savage dog problem needs to engage in more critical assessments. These should cover broadly 2 areas of investigation 1) breed or mix of breeds 2) Owners and their personality defects. It’s hard to do but in the end it will produce better results. My guess is that the human factor will probably outweigh in most cases.
Fair comment, but while you are doing your careful research, (which will take time to do properly), people are getting mauled. It is always possible to say “we need more information” and postpone action on that basis. But there is no good reason for owning a dog which is effectively a dangerous weapon that can go off unpredictably.
I think it’s disgusting that these poor dogs are getting banned they don’t deserve any of the restrictions. Blame the owners not the breed I have met some nice bully XLs huge softies the owners were genuine to. Is this the answer then a dog breed gets out of control so the government ban it?
The trouble is that a dog is not a toy. It is a living creature with its own heritage, motivations and emotions. These are not entirely the same as we humans have, because dogs are a different species. This sometimes makes them unpredictable to us. There have been enough cases of a dog which is “just a big softy”… until it tries to chew someone’s face off. This is dangerous if the dog is one of the big powerful breeds, doubly dangerous if it is a breed bred for fighting and doubly dangerous again if it is big enough to… Read more »
Failed to mention the real elephant in the room here, the fact XL bullys are a product of mixing breeds, and one of those breeds being the american pit bull. Unfortunately no one seems to acknowledge this. If these bullys didn’t have apbt in them we wouldn’t be in this mess! Don’t believe me? Go and do some research.
I would love to have that dog or one like it. I raised pits and they were not aggressive at all, they were big spoiled babies. They should not band them. Any animal can be aggressive. That is a beautiful dog.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder however I think for for most owners of these types of dogs it’s how others behold their pit bull/xl bully etc that is important to them.
Powerful/intimidating dog then the dog owner must be powerful/intimidating also. For some owners compensating for something maybe.
Quite likely many owners of these dogs would prefer to own a leopard or a bear if only they were allowed to.
Sure. Any animal can be aggressive. But not every animal is big and powerful enough to overpower and badly maul an adult human. That is why we are not allowed to keep leopards as pets.
It’s very true that any animal can be aggressive including small dogs or other small animals but as for being an animal lover myself it’s true what people are saying don’t blame the dogs you need to look more closely at the owners who have them and how they bring them up coz even very small dogs can cause a lot of damage and injuries to a human being if they were to actually bite someone in the right place and yet I don’t see the government trying to ban all of those little breeds aswell do you as I… Read more »
Any dog no matter what it is could turn at any time after all they are pack animal
The point is that Bullys are big enough and powerful enough to severely maul or kill an adult (let alone a young child). A Jack Russell can be aggressive but they are so small by comparison that they are far less of a threat.
If you research jack Russell attacks that caused death, there are cases where they have killed babies and toddlers
Wikipedia lists fatal dog attacks in the UK.
Since Jan 2021 there have been 22 fatalities due to dog attacks.
“Bully” types have been the cause of at least 14 of those attacks.
Although much more popular as pets and potentially capable of lethal attacks perhaps, not surprisingly, breeds such as labrador retrievers, cocker spaniels, labradoodles and cockapoos don’t feature on the list of killers.
Perhaps keepers of bully type dogs could explain what “bully” type dogs have that the above breeds (and many others that don’t feature on the list of killers) don’t offer.
I don’t own a Bully, I have a rescue dog, that came from a bad and abusive background, I suggest you could visit a Rescue that takes in and rehabilitate Bully rescues, and you will see first hand how loving and soft they are, All dogs are capable of turning and attacking, btw Labrador are well know for nipping and biting and chihuahua are the worse for biting and not recommended in homes with young children. In a nutshell all dogs can react.
In a nutshell all dogs are capable of turning and attacking but “Bullys” (and a few other breeds/types) are also equipped to kill an able bodied adult.
When are people like you going to realise, this isn’t about dogs ‘nipping and ‘biting’?? Noone is denying that any dog can have the potential to do that. What we are discussing is dogs that have the potential to kill men! That is the reality of the situation we are in. The only reason BSL didn’t work is that not enough was done to enforce it- you only have to look at the US to see what happens when you don’t have it.
And so do other animals, most dog attacks are only in papers if they can scare monger, I know of 2 farmers killed by cows, my own niece was bit in the face by a jack Russell, non of these were published in a newpaper Any animal is capable of killing a grown man unless it’s treated with the respect it deserves.
Fatalities caused by cows are reported by the media For example “Killer Cows’ named UK’s most dangerous animal” was a headline in the Mirror. More than 30 fatalities between 2018 and 2022 but that’s from a total herd of over 9 million. Killer cows website states that about three quarters of those killed were farmers or farm workers. Of the walkers killed over 90% had a dog with them. Would you agree that someone just walking down a street or visiting a house is probably unlikely to be killed by a cow so perhaps it’s not fair to deflect this… Read more »
Totally agree with you all they need it love and respect and there would be none this bad behaviour dog’s and any animals do anything to please
there owners
Sound Julie. If a chihuahua turns on you I guess it’s the same as if a XL bully turns. Wonder why drug dealers and c**k heads in gangs get these dogs Instead of chihuahuas. Chihuahuas are far more formidable up against a person.
How many have killed adult males?
That is very true and I’m glad that I’m not the only one to say it aswell coz at the end of the day what is it that the government are going to do try and get rid of all of any other animals and try and put all other animals to be euthanised aswell just to try and kill off the rest of the planet as like they have done with coming out with all about this covid-19 stuff as that was all man made and was just to try and kill off some of the original most of… Read more »
These dogs are very dangerous and my opinion they should be banned all these dogs are very aggressive to any human. If you look most of these dogs are very dangerous there not trained if all of that breed is not trained then that breed shouldn’t be in this country. And most of these dogs owners are most likely to be drug dealers and which is obvious why they will own such aggressive dogs for their “own safety”. This breed should be banned from this country.
Such a narrow minded view. Taking the few and painting all as aggressive is nonsense. Please do some proper research. Education and proper training for dog and human. New regulations on ownership and breeding, tougher penalties for bad breeders if all dogs, instead of banning potential multiple large dogs breeds. These are members of people’s family’s even if you don’t think that. Also the government haven’t given enough time the infrastructure to deal with this ban isn’t in place.
But why does someone want to own a “bully” type dog?
Totally agree 👍
Please do your research first, not all bullies are trained to be aggressive, unfortunately some end up in the wrong hands such as drug sellers and users or members of gangs. A lot of the aggressive dogs usually have been pumped with steroids to make them aggressive, these are the people that have out of control dogs not the law abiding owners who love and trading their dogs correctly
Training not trading – typo error
Why do “bully” type dog owners want to own a dog that to people who don’t know the owner (ie the majority of people the owner might meet), makes the owner look like they may be a drug dealer, drug user or gang member?
What is it about a “bully” type dog that law abiding owners can’t get from owning another breed?
I’m just a member of public who doesn’t have a dog. You know, that anonymous person, derided for not knowing anything about dogs when they complain and occasionally becoming collateral damage when badly controlled dogs become aggressive. I would advocate for all dogs on the leads in public spaces including village greens. In some countries there are fenced dog parks where people can let their animals run free and I think this is how it should be. Why should people like me suffer being jumped at, growled at, barked at, pestered for picknick food, have to step into wet grass… Read more »
As a cat owner, I have huge sympathy for the owners of these large aggressive dogs. Why should they or their animals be punished just because of the small minority of irresponsible owners? Some people are scared of my cat but he’s a total sweety. I make sure he only leaves the house when there are no children on the street and, while a cat shouldn’t be on a lead, I admonish him severely if he has an altercation with a dog or an adult person (luckily there have only been one or two incidents that people have said are… Read more »
Wonderful! Thank you.
I agree all dogs start as puppies with loving mothers who care and protect them, then after that that’s where the problem begins for some get the right owners that will love and cherish and train them to respect other animals and people then you get others that will abuse them and badly hurt them just for there own pleasure. then you get the ones that will be trained to be weapons to hurt and kill so no matter what anyone say it’s down to us how these dogs turn out. not the dog’s them self they don’t even get… Read more »
Vastly more people die in traffic accidents in cars or on motorcycles.
Ban them!
In fact ban anything that’s harmful, then all you safety nuts can choke to death in your cotton wool lined cribs.
Government tells you to stay in your house, you stay in, government tells you that you can’t have something, you give it away.
What a bunch of pathetic neck breathers.
Complete nonsense. In any issue of public safety, a balance has to be drawn between risks and benefits. Cars and motorcycles are very useful, so a certain degree of risk is accepted. But I am not sure what the use is of making it easy for any psychologically disturbed individual to equip themselves with a lethal weapon, because that is what a fierce dog capable of pulling down an adult human is. Or hey, how about putting machine guns on open sale? Then we could have mass shootings, like in the USA. What a mentally challenged moron.
You sound like someone who might find walking a labradoodle or cockapoo beneficial.