Shelter inundated with XL Bully dogs after attacks amid fears of overbreeding
A dog shelter has said they are already inundated with American XL Bully dogs and fear even more of the animals will be left at its door as debate rages around banning the "lethal" breed.
City Dogs Home in Stoke said that it had seen evidence of "relentless" overbreeding, and that some dogs are winding up there after simply being cut loose by their owners. Calls for a ban of the breed have intensified since footage emerged showing a suspected American Bully XL on the rampage in Birmingham at the weekend, mauling several people including an 11-year-old girl.
Following that attack and a number of other shocking incidents around the country, Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said she's seeking urgent advice on whether the breed should be outlawed. And she's received the backing of city MPs.
Despite growing concern over XL Bullies in recent months - with the breed believed to have been responsible for more than half of the lethal dog attacks last year - they continue to be bred for sale across the UK. In the case of those up for rehoming, the sellers give reasons including inability to pay for the dog's veterinary care or the animal being left with them by family members. Some stress the need to give up the dog as being "no fault of (the dog's) own".
Vickie Phillips, manager at City Dogs Home, told StokeonTrentLive that "every other dog people bring in is an XL Bully or American bulldog", and said she believed she'd seen evidence of "relentless over-breeding". She backed calls for the breed to be banned, adding: "There are a lot in Stoke-on-Trent and I do think they ought to be on the banned list, just like the (American) pitbulls. Sadly, I think they need to be treated the same as them - castrated, muzzled and registered.
Girl, 4, mauled to death in dog attack pictured as neighbours hear mum's screams
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"There are too many of them - they've been over-bred and now they're running amok. It's every month you hear about (someone being attacked) and it seems more pronounced than it was with the pitbulls. We've had some nasty ones here. They can be aggressive to other dogs - and have been to people here at the kennels. They've tried to properly go for us, but we're obviously very cautious, so, thankfully, no-one's been injured yet. Every other dog people bring in is an XL Bully or American Bulldog. We've got quite a few bulldog-type dogs in right now."
She added: "When the poor bitches are coming in, their teats are down to the floor because they've been bred and bred so relentlessly. When they've had enough pups, people just want to get rid of them. It's hard to say whether there's something (aggressive) in them innately, but when they get wound up, they're such powerful dogs and it's very difficult to control them.
Mirror continues to campaign for action to protect people against dangerous dogs"We're expecting to get even more through the door now (Suella Braverman has called for them to be banned). We get some people bringing them in because they're nervous of them and they're a bit nasty. People are afraid they're going to hurt someone.
"Then there are people who just throw them out on the streets and the dog wardens have to bring them in, putting people at risk with them roaming around aimlessly. They're big dogs and once they get someone on the floor, that's it." While there are those who will defend the breed and argue that a dog's behaviour is down to its training, veteran dog behaviourist Stan Rawlinson, 76, issued a stark warning in the wake of the Birmingham attack.
He described the breed as "the most dangerous dog breed ever", saying the animals were "predatory, over-reactive, stimulated by movement, distrustful of strangers and incredibly strong". Searches of various online marketplace websites return hundreds of results for American Bully XL dogs for sale around the UK, and prices vary from around £700 to upwards of £2000 or even £3000 for those billed as being from superior bloodlines.
Although a significant number of the dogs are within the eight-to-12-week age range, a number are upwards of six months old or up to two years old. Some of those who sell the breed, both locally and further afield, actively promote them as being family pets or good with children, although some owners of older dogs actively state they should not go to homes with other pets or kids.
But the leading website BullyScene describes American Bullies as being "gentle and unwaveringly loyal" and "the perfect match for families". The UK Bully Kennel Club said that its "main aim is to promote responsible ownership" adding: "We think this should be the main focus for the government, not banning specific breeds, as it has been proven it doesn't work."
The spokesman said the attack at the weekend was "horrific for all involved" but questioned whether the dog that mauled the people in Birmingham was actually an American Bully XL. The spokesman added: "Whilst this is on topic, surely this is the time to hopefully have a constructive conversation on responsible dog ownership for all dog owners, potential licensing for all dog owners, and breeding licences, rather than (have) a knee-jerk reaction to just ban."
* This article was crafted with the help of an AI tool, which speeds up The Mirror's editorial research. An editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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