XL Bully dogs will be banned in England and Wales by the end of the year, unless they are registered on an index of exempted dogs.
But in Scotland, they government is still “carefully considering the evidence as to whether changes to ban the XL Bully dogs and breed will be applied in Scotland.”
So should XL Bully dogs be banned here too? The opinion among the public seems divided.
But the XL Bully dog ban is what Dundee woman, Amanda Deasley, is hoping for.
She told The Courier she has been suffering from anxiety following both her dog and partner being attacked by an XL Bully.
Amanda’s partner, also named Amanda (or Ajay), was attacked by an out-of-control American XL Bully in 2021.
‘From that day on, my dog changed, my partner changed, I changed’
Since, Amanda and pup Coco have been struggling to complete everyday tasks such as shopping or getting on the bus, for fear of running into an XL Bully.
The 43-year-old said: “My partner and my dog were attacked by an XL Bully. I came out of work and saw them in an awful state.
“From that day on, my dog changed, my partner changed, I changed. It has had a big effect on everybody.”
Now, Amanda’s mental health is suffering.
“My anxiety is through the roof,” she said, “if I see one [an XL Bully], I run a mile. I know from the back of their legs what type of dog it is.
“I take a panic attack.
“My partner goes ‘calm down, calm down’ and I know dogs do sense fear, but I just can’t control it.
“I’ve actually got off of the bus in town because a guy came on with his XL Bully and I just started crying.
“I’ve got the absolute fear of them, I can’t be near them or I go into a panic.
“I’m not scared of anything – but this is a different breed altogether.”
XL Bully dog ban needed as dogs are ‘overpowering’
Amanda said that seeing headlines about the XL Bullies sets off her anxiety too.
“And every other day, you’ve got another attack. So that makes my mind go into overdrive.
“There’s another one, a man mobbed, a dog mobbed. It’s unreal and it’s terrifying.
“My dog now is so anxious – she’s a bag of nerves and she was never like that before. Now we’re left to pick up the pieces.
“It’s just horrid.”
Amanda is clear about where she stands on the potential XL Bully dog ban.
“I’m for the ban, a million percent, no ‘if’s, ‘but’s or ‘maybe’s.
“It’s more of a zoo animal, you can’t walk around with wolves.
“Those dogs are just too strong, they’re overpowering.
“If it kicks off, there’s no going back.
“You should be in control of your dogs, not your dogs being in control of you.”
SSPCA boss against the XL Bully dog ban
However, SSPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn, says a ban on XL Bullies would be the wrong move.
“We recognise that public safety comes first. But the [ban’s] definition is far too broad.
“One of the problems is that [the XL Bully] is not a recognised breed. If you take any golden Labrador, a Doberman, a this that and the next thing, you can go to The Kennel Club website and look at their breed specifications it gives you the definition.
“Anyone should be able to look at the definition and say, yes, that is a golden retriever or that is a Doberman.
“But the XL Bully is being classed as a type of dog, because it’s not a recognised breed.”
“The XL Bully started in America. Basically, as the new description behind the definition points out, it will be an offense to own a dog, regardless of what it is bred from, if it ends up looking like an XL Bully.
“We could end up seeing dogs put to sleep simply because how they look.
“Obviously that’s not fair.”
Mike continued: “I’ve been with the SSPCA for 37 years. So I was about when the ban was brought in in 1991 for pitbull terriers.
“There were thousands of people who had to get their dogs put down, and the vast majority of them have never actually done anything wrong.
“But we’re talking here about dogs, the vast majority of which, will have done absolutely nothing and not caused any risk to the public.
“With all the media in the last couple of years, I can see that the government have to do something, but going down this breed or type-specific [route] is not going to solve the problem.”
Do you think XL Bullies should be banned? Let us know in the comments below.
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