I think that banning the breed is the easiest option because it's a quick decision it affects a limited number of people that own this breed it will have a positive impact on the middle classes who have Cockapoos and you know dogs that they love to just let free in the park and then they can forget about the Excel bully could you guarantee that your dog won't attack other people or even yourself I don't think you could guarantee that from any dog to be honest I know people who've had really horrible bites from Jack Russells and
and terriers and and all sorts of different dogs the number of dog attacks in the UK is on the rise and the American XL Bully has been responsible for half of all dog-related deaths in the UK since 2021 including three children people have started to call for a ban of this breed to prevent more deaths and injuries I decided to meet Sophie the owner of Billy the XL Bully to hear what she had to say What attracted to you to this sort of breed of dogs so I grew up with boxes um and I've always
liked that style of dog rather than let's say a fluffy fluffy type of dog um and so we were looking at a good breed to get we wanted something that was suitable for urban life in London but that would do long walks eventually maybe even run with me eventually um and something that was you know we do we do live in a city something where I would feel slightly more secure um walking the dog so we looked at things like um staffies considered a staffy so we actually saw somebody with an American Bully and we
asked them what breed it was and we were a bit confused because obviously they do look a little bit like a staffy and they said just basically a slightly bigger version slightly different breed and then we researched so we watched a lot of videos and watched a few sort of documentaries on YouTube about the breed and just felt like it was the right breed for us um and I will say that that was before a lot of the media yeah changed so I think you know today if we were making that decision it might have
been a different decision like you said you know there's been media coverage about how there has been a rise in dog attacks and the Excel bully has been linked to over half of the number of people who've been killed by dog attacks in the last year does that concern you it doesn't concern me with my own dog in that sense I think it's definitely a worrying time to own an American Bully because as soon as somebody asks me what breed he is I almost paused before I go to set because I think what's their reaction
going to be um it's been really tough to watch what's happened in the media to be honest because obviously it they're terrible tragedies and I really feel for the families but I think there's a big consideration about the circumstances around the dog attacks as well children being left unsupervised with dogs which I don't think you should leave any dog with with a child um so there are kind of other factors I think whereas I think the easiest thing to do is to just blame the breed do you think sometimes people like this breed of dog
for that security element because they sort of pose a threat to not only other animals but of a human I mean you can see it in hip-hop videos and um you can see it with certain areas that I'll drive through and you'll see people with this breed and you know that that dog represents some kind of status for them and yeah I think a lot of people would be um maybe less prone to mugging someone with this breed than if they were walking in a Chihuahua and I will say that that was a consideration for
us when we were choosing a dog I'm alone a lot I would be walking the dog in the dark perhaps and we did want a breed not necessarily this breed but we did want a breed that that had a size to it what a lot of people question is you know pit bulls were raised for you know bull baiting dog fighting do you think that is perhaps just in their genetics to be good at fighting it's interesting because the the American Lee has is a relatively young breed about 30 years I think and there was
effort made obviously to breed based on temperament so yes they brought the pit bull terrier in but they've brought other breeds in as well and I think that if you do your research and you go to somebody who who is passionate about these dogs you will find a dog with a good temperament but I think if you you know the rise in sort of backyard breeding through lockdown puppy Farms Etc and people breeding purely for size and and to have the dog look a certain way you're probably not going to get a dog that's that
where the temperament's been considered I I think that all dogs will have a genetic kind of nature element and a nurture element to them just as certain dogs will have a desire to chase squirrels or chase cats and I think it's about how you manage that really and thinking about the safety if you're talking the safety of other people as well do you think that currently in the UK there's enough sort of Regulation put in place for both breeders and dog owners around Excel bullies no as someone who is a responsible dog owner I believe
I would welcome more regulation around dogs I I don't think that banning a specific breed is the answer because there will be a next breed after this that people will will decide as the new um status dog I would personally have a license if I needed to have one I would do training if I needed to do a specific training and I think a lot of responsible dog owners would do the same um especially if it means your dog gets to have a happy and healthy life so I guess you're against this idea of banning
Excel but at least then I think that banning the breed is the easiest option because it's a quick decision it affects a limited number of people that own this breed it will have a positive impact on the middle classes who have Cockapoos and you know dogs that they love to just let free in the park and then they can forget about the XL Bully whereas I think that it's not as simple as that I've seen young people walking Belgian Malinois and I think that that will be the next dog after the Excel belief the XL
Bully gets banned um and I think the answer is not Banning dogs I think a much better answer would be looking at how people raise their dogs how how tough um sorry he's distracting me he's looking at um what the laws are around breeding in the UK as well hello Billy hello oh thank you that's very kind yeah I think I think a breed ban is the easiest thing for a political standpoint it will you know make people happy that are reading a lot of what's in the media but I don't think it's the answer
I guess in terms of wider Society you know people have been reading about how these dogs have been linked to these dog attacks people will probably feel nervous because of that and being nervous around these sort of dogs do you think that maybe it should be taken into consideration about wider Society in the fear they may feel even if that if there isn't actually a substantial threat there yeah I I think I can understand a lot of people will ask me what breed he is and when I say what breed he is I sometimes see
people almost take a step back but I think on the other hand so many people seem to love this type of dog and I would say 80 of people smile at him when he walks past rather than cross the road or or get nervous and I think it's all about how under control your dog is we can go and sit in a busy Cafe and I keep him very close to me I make sure I have treats and you know I'm very respectful of other people that not everybody likes dogs full stop um but I've
seen more aggression come from cocker spaniels we've been out on walks um that I've seen from him so could you guarantee that your dog won't attack other people or even yourself I don't think you could guarantee that from any dog to be honest I know people who've had really horrible bites from Jack Russells and and terriers and and all sorts of different dogs some of the things that I've done with him is he's trying to understand the word enough if we're playing immediately means stop and I think that that's something that we started from when
he was a puppy as far as when it comes to let's say other people and other dogs that's my responsibility to to make sure that he always has space from them I obviously can't control other dogs running up to us off lead but I can do my best to protect him in that situation is more how I feel to be honest rather than um thinking of it the other way around it's more about how can I keep him out of the way so that should anything happen um you know the blame would the blame would
go to him regardless
