“Juno, Dolchy and Murphy, cross!” At the trainer’s command, three owners lead their dogs through the middle of the group. They dribble along cheerfully and obediently.
On this early Sunday morning, a group of more than ten dogs follows their weekly obedience training. The frost on the grass of the park in Blackheath, south-east London, is slowly dissolving. Juno, Dolchy and Murphy stand out because they are the only dogs that wear a muzzle. They are American XL bulldogs, a cross between bulldogs and pit bull terriers, among other things. This XL bulliesas they are also called, can weigh more than fifty kilos.
From January 1st, dogs will be like this forbidden in the United Kingdom. Breeding, selling or giving away XL bullies is illegal. The ban on owning an XL bully will also come into effect at the end of January. Owners can do a apply for an exemption, provided that they have their dog sterilized and that they are insured against accidents. From now on, dogs must always wear a muzzle outside and must be on a leash as standard.
The reason for the ban is the accidents that have occurred in recent months. An XL bully attacked two men and an 11-year-old girl in Birmingham in September. She was injured in her shoulder and arm. In October, a one-year-old boy ended up in hospital in London after a seizure. And in Sunderland, in the north of England, a 54-year-old man died from his injuries after a confrontation with an XL bully.
“The American XL bully poses a risk to our society, especially to our children. This is a pattern of behavior and it cannot continue,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said at the announcement of the ban.
Ban not a solution
But in dog-loving England, such a decision is not taken lightly. In Blackheath, trainer Jamie McAvan does not believe that a ban is the solution. “Pit bulls were banned in the early 1990s and I still come across pit bull puppies. Breeding simply goes underground.” McAvan specializes in training dogs with a lot of temperament. The trick, he says, is not to give the dogs a chance to blend in with their environment. “Dogs can only focus on one thing at a time, so you need to make sure they are only focused on you.”
The real problem with XL bullies, says McAvan, is that owners don’t know how to handle their dogs and are usually not interested in their dog’s behavior at all. “They buy such a dog as a status symbol. It goes well with their shoes or their handbag. They think they look cool.”
When the ban became known, McAvan advertised free training to get the dogs used to a muzzle. He got about 250 responses, but after he announced the date and time, six people showed up. “That shows how much energy those owners really want to put into their dog.”
Forever on the line
For Juno, a gray-brown spotted bully with a pink collar, the ban means that her life will look completely different, says owner Chloe Brighty. When she and her husband first had Juno, the end goal of the training was to allow her to run free, but that is no longer possible due to the new rules. They have been muzzling her for some time now when they go out into the street. “We slowly got her used to it. We don’t want to run the risk that someone will report it later and we will lose her. In the park, people now walk around us with a wide arc.”
They adopted Juno as a puppy from someone who had problems keeping her under control. “In the beginning we could hardly take her to the park, she was so enthusiastic. She ran everywhere. Do you think it’s strange in a puppy? She is sweet with our other dogs and our three-year-old daughter. She never did anything wrong.” Juno will no longer be insured against medical expenses, because insurers will not accept dogs of a prohibited breed.
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It’s true, says trainer McAvan after class: Juno has a gentle character. Yet that is exceptional for XL bullies. More characteristic is that they get excited quickly and that excitement easily turns into aggression. That’s because of how they are bred, says McAvan: “Breeders focus almost exclusively on color and not on temperament, so they are comfortable breeding fearful or aggressive dogs.” Then the owners do not raise their dogs properly. “Oh, they say, he plays so nicely with my children, he jumps and hands out playful treats. And then they are surprised when the dog actually bites. Even though it was coming all along. They didn’t play at all, that was their fighting instinct.”
Killer Kimbo
In the British media the story around from Killer Kimbo, a notorious American XL bully that is said to be the product of intensive inbreeding and from which many British bullies are said to be descended. The campaign group Bullywatch, which lobbied to ban the dogs in the UK, conducted research and found that many stud dogs are also Kimbo’s offspring. According to Bullywatch, his offspring have been involved in violent attacks worldwide. According to his owner, Kimbo has a total of between five hundred and six hundred descendants.
Bullywatch naturally welcomes the ban on the XL bully, but most British animal welfare organizations are against it. The XL bullies are added to an existing law from 1991 that bans four dog breeds, including the pit bull terrier and the Brazilian dog. That law doesn’t work, many animal welfare clubs believe. Instead of adding yet another new breed to the list, they argue, the entire law should be revised.
Increase in biting incidents
Although specific breeds have been banned, the number of recorded biting incidents in the UK has increased over the past two decades. There is no convincing evidence that certain breeds are more violent, says animal welfare organization Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSCPA): “Aggressive behavior in dogs can be influenced by factors such as breeding, training and life experiences. Dogs are characterized as ‘dangerous’ just because of their appearance.” Research confirms a great diversity within breeds when it comes to behavior.
The RSPCA also points out that in the Netherlands, among other places, the ban on pit bulls has been abolished after fifteen years, because the number of biting incidents has not decreased.
Dogs on the course in Blackheath
Photo Justin Griffiths-Williams
At the end of the training in Blackheath, owners should stand close together and let their dogs lie relaxed in the grass for five minutes. Easier said than done with ten other dogs as distractions. „Down, down”, it sounds and Juno is not the only one who keeps wiggling until her owner gives her a dog treat.
Do you ever go to the pub with your dog, McAvan asks. There is laughter. Yes of course. “This is exactly the same for dogs, they have to lie still. And you’ll spend much longer in the pub!”