An American who bred the first XL Bully today blamed greedy breeders for mixing them with dangerous breeds of dog as he hit back at the government’s plan to ban the animal after a spate of attacks.
Dave Wilson of Virginia began creating the breed in the 1990s by crossing an American Staffordshire terrier, American pit bull terrier and other bulldog breeds in the US.
Insisting that his aim was to create a ‘comfortable’ dog, he said: ‘We wanted a dog that was like a bodybuilder… a heavily muscled, shorter dog. We also wanted to make sure that the behavior did not represent what the stereotype would be. So we set out to create a dog with a very friendly temperament. The ultimate companion breed.’
XL Bully dogs first started appearing in Britain in 2014, before the breed increased in popularity during Covid. In the years since the first crackdown, the number of fatal attacks has steadily risen, causing a panic that prompted Rishi Sunak to announce a UK-wide ban.
Mr. However, Wilson suggested that breeders should ‘cash in’ on the demand for XL Bully dogs by mixing them with other more dangerous dogs. He also claimed there were no safety problems with American bullying in the US and said Britain ‘needs to stop pointing fingers at dogs’, telling The Times: ‘The true nature of the breed is really not what is portrayed not.’
There have been eight serious dog attacks in Britain in the past year, most involving XL Bully dogs, resulting in six deaths. There were a record 9,424 hospital admissions due to dog attacks last year, a number which has risen by a third in a decade, according to NHS data.
Dave Wilson of Virginia began creating the breed in the 1990s
The government has said it will ban XL bullies by the end of the year (file image)
Pictured: Lakaydia Reynolds who was attacked last week
Pictured: Mother-of-five Nima Begum’s cat was killed by an XL bully (pictured)
Just last week Ian Langley was fatally beaten by a Bully in Sunderland and a toddler almost lost his leg in a brutal attack in Greenwich, south-east London.
A majority of Britons – nine out of ten – say bully dogs should be banned.
Meanwhile, a force in the Midlands came out on Sunday to say they strongly disagree.
Dozens of XL Bully owners have added their voice to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plans to ban the breed after a spate of atrocity attacks, with one young woman insisting: ‘My dog is no killer – he’s as sweet as a angel!’
A large group descended on a park in Leicester for an angry protest in a bid to help reverse the Prime Minister’s proposal to ban the controversial Bully breed.
It was fronted by mum-of-three Hannah Smith, 27, who said: ‘The government have got it so wrong and need a rethink!
‘The majority of Bully owners are responsible people and it is ridiculous that this breed can be banned due to the irresponsibility of just a few.
“They are a lovely breed, but in the wrong hands, yes, they can be dangerous and attack.”
Isobel Wittington, 22, whose beloved two-year-old Bully XL Dexter has been with the family since he was a puppy, said: ‘He is so cute and as sweet as an angel. My dog is no killer!
“There are bad owners, but banning the breed won’t stop attacks.”
Dozens of XL Bully owners have added their voice to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plans to ban the breed after a spate of horror attacks on Sunday
The outraged owners met at historic Abbey Park on the outskirts of Leicester but left their pets at home as Ms Smith explained: ‘It’s about our voice not their bark.’
They later marched into the city center and gathered at the Clock Tower – a small police presence present at both locations.
The protest, following a similar one in London last month, comes after a spate of Bully XL attacks on children and adults across the country.
Many of the protesters – including young children – carried banners to promote their cause and chanted ‘Save our Bullies’ and ‘Muzzle Rishi not our dogs’.
Others said: ‘Don’t ban me, license me’ and ‘Stop bullying our best friends’.
Any ban would include an amnesty for existing owners provided their pets are registered, neutered and muzzled when in public.
Owners were afraid their animals would be put down, but this will not be the case.
Ms Smith, from Wigston, Leicestershire, believes the ban is a heavy-handed approach and more could be done to ensure backyard breeders and the ‘wrong people’ don’t get hold of the dogs.
Speaking to MailOnline as she led a protest march around Abbey Park, she said: ‘Rishi Sunak doesn’t hear our arguments defending the dog breed and just goes straight to the final option of banning them.
‘Most owners are very responsible and he actively works against us. I can’t imagine he knows anything about the race.’
Ms Smith, who has a Bully called Kobe and three children aged six, five and four, added: ‘If a Bully isn’t trained properly that’s when you start to have problems, but that can be true for any race, not just this one. one.
‘XL bullies are companion dogs. Kobe is such a chilled out lazy couch potato who just likes to sleep on the couch and cuddle. I have no worries or concerns about him being around my kids or anyone else. He was not circumcised once.
“My six-year-old son Logan, out here today, is even defending the breed because he doesn’t want Kobe to go anywhere and loves him.
‘The fatal attacks and others were terrible, but banning Bullies will not stop attacks in the future. Those dogs were in the wrong hands.’
She continued: ‘The protest is because the government needs to crack down on backyard breeders and not punish responsible owners who care for their dog’s property and love them.’
‘You can’t have a rule for one breed of dog that can harm people and not the other. It’s unfair.
She added: ‘We’re not looking for trouble, we just walk from Abbey Park to the Clock Tower without our dogs. We don’t want to give the wrong impression, we want people to approach us and talk to us about race.’
Last week, a mother of five feared for her children’s safety after a violent XL Bully-type dog came into her garden and killed the family’s beloved pet cat – in violent scenes caught on CCTV.
Nima Begum (40) was in her house when she heard a commotion outside and saw a man wrestling with the powerful animal.
He kept shouting ‘Your cat is fine’, even though his pet’s jaws were full of blood.
Mrs. Begum rushed outside and found her terrified cat Kiwi in a tree, which she managed to get down with the help of a passerby. But the tabby died before she could get to a vet.
One of Kiwi’s kittens, 11-week-old Peppercorn, was also outside but managed to escape.
‘It all happened in seconds. I was absolutely terrified and my cat was killed,’ she said.
In the footage, the man, who was wearing sweatpants and a black jacket with white trainers, could be heard screaming and holding his head in terror as he shouted at the dog: ‘Stop. Shark. Oh my god.’ When approached by a passerby, he said: ‘He just took off. The dog got free. The lead broke. I’m really sorry, but the cat is okay.’
‘I saw that dog off the leash every day for several months. It could have been the dog that attacked my three-year-old boy.
‘My biggest concern is not only for my child, but for the school nearby. I’m so scared to take my little boy to the nursery across the road.’
Mrs Begum was surprised to find a woman who she believed was with the dog owner who blamed her cat for the incident.
There are several dog characteristics that could mean a breed is included under the new ban, including if your dog has a muscular build, weighs more than 20kg, has a wide skull and jaw, muscular neck or convex cheeks
The number of fatal dog attacks in the UK has soared in recent years – a record high in 2022
She said: ‘When I went outside he started walking away. There was a lady who might have been with him and I asked her where my cat was.
‘She was just pointing in a direction along the road. I could see the dog growling at me and his face was full of blood. That’s when I got really scared.
‘The woman said the dog needed to be seen by a vet as our cat had attacked it and it could cost them a fortune.
“She seemed to be blaming Kiwi for what happened, which was just ridiculous.”
She added: “I kept repeating “Where’s my cat? Where’s my cat?” and she pointed to the tree on the ledge outside my house.
‘Then I saw my cat sitting halfway up. She was out of reach and then she collapsed and fell part of the way.
‘Someone helped me bend down branches so we could reach her. My 17 year old daughter held her in a towel and she took her last breath in my daughter’s hands.
‘Within five seconds she was gone. Her stomach was ripped open and you could see her insides. I didn’t have a chance to take her to the vet. The dog owner and the lady just disappeared.’
Also subject to an attack was a young woman, who said she ‘thought she was going to die’ when she was mauled by three dogs in a vicious attack filmed by a passerby.
Lakaydia Reynolds was walking through Abbots Park in Lambeth, south London, when the animals, which included a banned American Pitbull Terrier, pounced on her.
The 24-year-old had plastic surgery following the June 6 incident, which saw her suffer bites and scratches to her face, legs and arm.