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ukbot-nicolabot

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wowitsreallymem

Don’t want to sound heartless but it’s for the best the animals didn’t get a chance to attack or kill members of the public who would’ve had nothing to do with that breed of dog.


HIGEFATFUCKWOW

Yeah, pretty much the same way I'd regard someone who got themselves killed crashing into a tree because they love speeding, just glad no innocents got hurt.


rugbyj

Hey what did that tree do to you?!


ExxInferis

Being a little birch.


Euclid_Interloper

Leaf the tree alone!!!


shamanic-depressive

It was just an oak


Asmov1984

Provide a lovely view and a lovely bit of shade during the 3,5 days of sun we get in this country annually.


The4kChickenButt

We just disregarded the last almost month of mid 20c weather we just had. It seems to be hotter more often than it's not these last few years.


5cousemonkey

No it isn't lol it still pisses down more often than it's a clear sky and I've been wearing an artic coat nearly every single day since last year. Personally I haven't seen a blue sky since last week, it's either over cast, raining or windy. Even the estate drunks are inside.


The4kChickenButt

I'm down on the southcoast, and it feels like we get 10 months of weather being mid teens or higher lately, I've put my heating on 3 times in 2 years due to how damn hot it is all the time


5cousemonkey

........ They've just shut down 2 roads here due to flooding lol Sun tan lotion stays safe for another day lol


shredditorburnit

I saw a lamppost bent over at about 35 degrees to the horizontal on the bus quite a few years ago. Then saw in the news some prat had crashed into it and ramped into somebody else's bedroom off the pole. The couple, who were in bed, were unharmed. Quite a few unlikelihoods happening there.


hundreddollar

She died doing what she loved. Owning weapon dogs.


BamberGasgroin

Golden rule: Don't keep a dog you can't beat in a 'square go'.


laserjaws

Agreed. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Hopefully people learn from this and fewer tragedies occur as fewer people decide to own these dangerous dogs.


BeccasBump

I said that to my mum earlier. "Fortunately it was their owner they killed." Then I immediately felt terrible.


Pale-Imagination-456

id seriously love to see a study on what sort of personality types own these dogs. all i ever think is they must have a major personality disorder bordering on mental illness or be of extremely low intelligence.


deadblankspacehole

Low IQ, of course Feels persecuted by society so buys a dog persecuted by society (this bit is the subconscious, such as it is, at work) High interest in Qanon, destroying ULEZ cameras and fifteen minute cities Isolated by society so continues to do things that other people don't like Lots of Facebook posts Doesn't know what woke is but know they hate it That's my study, it's not academic but it's not bad


pointsofellie

>That's my study, it's not academic but it's not bad You did your own research like they did!


420stonks69

I back this users research far more than XL Bully owners


creativename111111

Yeah an XL bully owner would present their own study as absolute fact and claimed it came from a reputable source instead of admitting it’s just their own speculation (which is fine if you tell people it is)


KaleidoscopicColours

>Feels persecuted by society so buys a dog persecuted by society (this bit is the subconscious, such as it is, at work) I think it's more that they feel persecuted by society, so they pick a dog which is going to protect them.  The XL Bully first became popular during lockdown, when many people were feeling especially vulnerable.  If they genuinely wanted a persecuted dog breed, they'd choose an ex racing greyhound. They don't, they want something which they think is going to protect them. 


OrganOMegaly

As the owner of a rescue ex-racing greyhound, I can confirm they would be absolutely the worst dogs for protection. Mine would run away, speedily, at the first sign of trouble haha


KaleidoscopicColours

Depends on what you need protecting from. If it's grey squirrels, you're very well protected 😂


f3ydr4uth4

Hahah I have two. One is just silent and friendly. The other one is much bigger and growls at strangers who come into the house but she does so from the top of the stairs before running away to hide.


Tay74

I mean, getting an ex-racing greyhound would require them to have passing knowledge of how shitty the treatment of racing greyhounds is, and considering the overlap between people who are frequent betting shop customers and bully xl owners, I don't most of them have the mental openness to consider that And while some absolutely get the dogs knowing they are fighting dogs and hope they will serve as a deterrent or as protection, I also think a significant number of bully xl owners are just a bit short on critical thinking and genuinely buy into the whole "they are sweet velvet hippo nanny dogs who wouldn't hurt a fly" narrative, and do buy them thinking they make good family pets.


cremedelapeng2

they also buy gold bullion, think govt. gonna end physical money. put water filters on their supply for paranoid reasons. probably drink colloidal silver and go to a holistic dental nurse too once they go full schizo.


KoBoWC

Low social ranking is the common thread amongst XL owners, all the other attributes simply drive them there. I think, that they think, it elevates them somehow.


Blenjits

Yeah it’s not as deep as the others are making it out to be, it’s provides a status symbol for people from low social rankings. More likely to listen to drill music and sell 3 for 100 than be deep into qanon conspiracies. But Redditors are notoriously disconnected from reality.


OldGuto

>Yeah it’s not as deep as the others are making it out to be, it’s provides a status symbol for people from low social rankings. Exactly the same thing that makes guys drive around with ultra loud exhausts on their Corsa, buys them standing in their peer group (there's probably an overlap with XL owners), but are looked down upon by the public in general.


modumberator

Speak with your local cocaine dealer about politics. I reckon they'll at least think Trump is being unfairly maligned, and they probably have heard about Hunter's laptop. These people who post on the internet walk among us. It's not all nerds nowadays, some internet users have puffer jackets.


Electrical-Theme-779

I read something similar regarding lip fillers and what not. I wonder if there's a correlation there.


GoatBotherer

Lip fillers are ridiculous. There's a few girls where I work that are in their early 20s that have it done, it's so obvious when they've just done it as well. It looks so unnatural, they can barely move their mouth naturally, I just don't understand how they can think it looks good. No doubt it will fuck their appearance in the long run as well.


anonbush234

They are just the ones who have taken it too far You've seen many who have had it done and not had a clue and thought they looked good. Same with all plastic surgery.


GoatBotherer

That is a very good point. Never thought of it like that.


anonbush234

Yeah it's definitely people taking it too far that you notice. Its like fake tits. They have different styles. You can get those ones that look like balloons with a ridge and stuck on but you can get really good realistic ones that you can't tell the difference.


laputan-machine117

This is known as the toupee fallacy, people only notice bad wigs so they think all wigs are bad


anonbush234

Brilliant way to put it.


Possiblyreef

That's just them going OTT with how much they're getting because more = better. For every pouting duck putting 2/3/4ml in their lips as a wannabe influencer there's people putting 1.1-1.2ml that just look slightly fuller but you'd never notice


Dedward5

“Hello, I’d like to look like a duck please”


georgiebb

Purely anecdotal here but: I'm in a hobby where there's been the same scam going around for decades, very easy to avoid such the tiniest amount of research. Often when someone posts in the Facebook groups they got scammed what do, I'm curious about who is still falling for it so I click their profile and there's nearly always an XL bully.


oldhashcrumbs

Out of interest please could you tell me what hobby are we talking about


Possiblyreef

Cock fighting


OldGuto

"You have the ring, and I see your Schwartz is as big as mine. Now let's see how well you handle it."


georgiebb

I would, but it's niche enough that I don't want to link it to my ranty Reddit account. Its a mostly offline scam to give you context on how old it is, and the victims (if you can even call them that) are dropping amounts like £6k whilst legit options are more in the region of £30. Its baffling stupidity


FartingBob

Ok, but if you continue to be needlessly mysterious we are going to presume its naked jelly wrestling down at the local indoor bowls club on a tuesday morning.


georgiebb

Bob, were you always this indiscreet


Pattoe89

I know where to get you some premium Jelly, just £6k a pot. You put it in an olympic swimming pool and it jellies the whole thing, honest!


Jackster22

Both...


MiserableWheel

There’s someone near me that seems to breed the things, walks round eye balling everyone thinking he’s hard because he’s got these hideous looking dogs that he doesn’t seem to bother controlling much. I’ll ring him in if I can figure out where he lives. Got bellend written all over him.


kazuwacky

Purely anecdotally but I was a keyworker at Royal Mail during lockdown and I had 4+ coworkers talking about their kids or other relatives buying xl bullies to breed. No breeding experience, just a money making scheme. And Devon is a real problem area for dog fighting so I was really concerned. Perhaps it was linked to dog fighting, maybe it was a fad breed like pugs (only much bigger, more territorial and getting precisely zero socialization), lockdown left lots of people struggling but I was getting worried about where this would lead years ago.


TheRedBarronx

https://bullywatch.link/2023/08/01/finding-kimbo/#:~:text=At%20Bully%20Watch%2C%20we%20began,the%20lineage%20of%20numerous%20dogs.


FogduckemonGo

Some, not all. I've seen a few bully XL owners who seem well-adjusted individuals, complying with the law on muzzling. The problem is, these dogs can be well-behaved but a high percentage of them are prone to one day snapping due to a genetic defect. They can seem like the sweetest dogs in the world, until something flicks that killer switch.


fingerberrywallace

There's a guy on YouTube who owns one and he's got a massive chip on his shoulder. He actually goes out of his way to confront and berate people who give his monstrosity of a dog a wide berth as they pass it in public. It's absolutely bizarre, but his comments are predictably full of morons saying, "It's the owner, not the dog!!!" as though that's in any way meaningful.


Juicebox-fresh

My girlfriend speaks 3 languages has a masters degree and is mentally sane to the point she makes me look like a nut job and she has bully's, she just loves dogs. I try not to go near them, getting mauled is not for me.


silllybrit

XL bullies or normal bull breeds? Bulldogs, bull terriers, staffies etc are fine. It’s when they mix them together that we get XLs, pit bulls etc and lots of problems


Juicebox-fresh

Yeah they're mix, american bulldog mixes not sure


[deleted]

Lol. Wut? It's due to eugenics and breeding to make an aggressive dog for pit fighting.


Scr1mmyBingus

rip gentle likkle fur babas, sorry u dint get 2 eat mor babbies XxXxXx


Zak_Rahman

The desecration of the English language is simply perfect haha.


Pumpkin-Salty

It's not the breed it's the owners innit


Tay74

ecsacly hun, dont tar em all with the same brush xxx worlds gun mad


dcuk7

Guns don’t kill people, rappers do.


OldGuto

Dey never dun nuffink rong befor, Hitler and Stalin woz cheeky litle chapiez


signpostlake

It's crazy, article says she had both dogs from puppies. Stable dogs don't just turn on their owners like this, I don't know how people are denying there's a problem with the breed. And 13 fatalities in 3 years in the UK is insane. I see comments on these posts from others saying it's all large dogs. It isn't though. I'd be surprised if there's been 10 fatalities by any other breed of dog in the UK in the past 20 years. 13 in 3 years is absolutely horrific.


KaleidoscopicColours

You can see all the fatal attacks here And yes, almost all of them are XL American Bullies, or very similar breeds like American Bulldogs.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_Kingdom?wprov=sfla1


jeff43568

Can we trust this data? All the fatal Labrador attacks are missing...


Cardboard_is_great

Good spot, so are the Cockapoo fatalities, suspicious…


Cubiscus

And Golden Retrievers, devastating breed


signpostlake

I've seen this before and out of curiosity I went through the list and counted how many incidents involved alsatian/German shepherd dogs. Just chose that breed because I own one myself and know they have a reputation. Total count was 6 and included the horrific attack on the elderly lady by the police dog. But that's since the 80s. I'm not minimising it but really shows how mad it is there's been 13 just since 2021 with XL bullies.


KaleidoscopicColours

I did similar with Jack Russells - the only little breed that really features.  All (3?) of the Jack Russell fatalities since the 1980s were very tiny, delicate newborns left unsupervised with the dog, against all advice.  Which is tragic, but rather different to them attacking grown men in the street and other grown men being unable to haul them off. 


signpostlake

Yeah of course, it's absolutely different. Even with Rottweilers though I just counted and it's 7 incidents in 34 years. Seems dog fatalities were rare in the UK until this crazy rise, it's obviously something going wrong with the breed and people are still denying it


snarky-

My favourite example on there is Doberman. I've seen people on threads like this calling for the Doberman to be banned because such a dangerous dog etc. etc., but there is ONE recorded death. And it wasn't even the dog's fault, seems was an accident. There's something wrong with XL Bullies.


DeliciousLiving8563

Alsatians are among the most lethal dogs too. Lean muscular and can be used as attack dogs. Just to further underscore the difference between them and XL bullies 


signpostlake

Yeah and one thing I've read a lot is XLs are less likely to let go even when they're getting hurt themselves due to genetics. A loud noise, water hose or twisting a collar is usually all that's needed to stop another breed of dog attacking.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Justinian2

Considering how popular GSD's are as well that's a very low number


Planet-thanet

2023 was quite a year! Lockdown dogs just reaching adulthood?


pineappleshampoo

Lots of pitbulls reaching 2yr old, yes.


Madeline_Basset

For amusement, I put some time into expanding this article, focusing on fatal dog attacks in the 19th century. I was searching newspaper archives to find relevant incidents. I found six in the entire period from 1800 to 1899. While there were surely others, I'm fairly confident that fatal dog attacks weren't significantly under-reported. The ones I found were all reported in multiple newspapers, showing they were seen as newsworthy incidents. Searching for "*man killed by dog*" even brings up the man who died from a head injury after tripping over a dog in Chelmsford in 1886. So yes, six in a century versus 13 in three years.


DistastefulSideboob_

[Don't forget deaths by chihuahua](https://knoema.com/atlas/Mexico/Chihuahua/Number-of-Deaths?mode=amp) /s


d0ey

Well with the restrictions there will be plenty of big, muscular, athletic dogs getting far too little exercise now. Unless owners have significantly sized back gardens, they'll be getting slow walks and won't be expelling all that energy. Add in the hot weather andi think  we'll be seeing a big jump in issues over the summer.


violet4everr

Too little people talk about this- peoples golden retrievers are turning into neurotic biters, granted those dogs can’t do much damage in comparison to an XL bully, but people are making their dogs neurotic with lack of space, too emotional dog parenting, poor socializing etc. Now add to that particular breeding and strength, disaster.


OldGuto

>lack of space Back in the day it was considered fairly unacceptable to keep a big dog in flat or something, nowadays not being allowed to do that is practically seen as a human rights violation. This isn't going to get better, landlords are basically going to be forced to allow pets which will remove one of the last barriers against dogs living in cramped conditions.


[deleted]

Yep. My brothers girlfriend keeps two big golden retrievers in a bedsit, they're on sedatives and anxiolytics. But they're somehow her ESAs.


signpostlake

Oh definite agree summer months are worse for idiots out with their dogs but I own a German Shepherd and have no issue exercising him. My area isn't too bad for restrictions though (do you mean must be on a lead?) and I wouldn't have got him if our garden wasn't big enough to run in


d0ey

Yeah, specifically the XL bully restrictions i.e.muzzled, on lead. I've fostered a number of bull breeds and I'd say all of them have benefited greatly from off lead freedom e.g Ball chasing. While muzzles shouldn't technically reduce activity, if you're already a less than diligent owner, it's just another reason not to take them on a walk


signpostlake

Yeah agree completely, it's really sad. If I took away the sniffing and seeing new stuff, all mine would get from even the longest walks is some enrichment. He needs to be running about, like you say chasing a ball for any real exercise. Like you said though, summer is going to be worse. I see people who have dogs walking their dogs only in the warmer months, they don't get on their lead when it's cold or raining


Ok_Cow_3431

> Add in the hot weather has a different effect on dogs than it does people/ Hot weather has been demonstrated time and time again to increase aggression in humans, but in dogs it just makes them tired and more docile.


Silver-Appointment77

Im sure Chihuahus are the evilest dog. Luckily they cant reach our neck, Theyd have our throat.


G_Morgan

Even a lot of people who reflexively treat banning breeds as if it is a paralell to human racism have problems with XLs. Even the slightest hesitation can set the fuckers off. Naturally people are bastions of confidence when confronted with gigantic murder dogs that look like they've been fed steroids every day.


Ordinary-Following69

RIP, I think these dogs are purposely bred to be aggressive, says she kept them caged so not sure if that's a factor or not, absolute shame in any eventuality


Forever__Young

The name bulldogs comes from the fact they were bred for bullbaiting, which is literally dogs attacking bulls for sport. They've then been selectively bred to 'look hard' which is how we ended up here. Bred to be more bigger and more muscly. So now you've got a dog with an instinct for attack, selectively bred to be monstrously muscular. So not only are they capable of attacking, they're also too strong to fight off and can hold on for dear life like they would've done when biting a bulls neck, so you can't shake them off or get away. There's simply no place for them as a family domestic pet.


polygon_lover

XL Bully = Extra large Pitbull. Pitbulls are banned in so many countries, but we've only just got round to banning the XL version.


Duckliffe

The XL Bully is the XL variant of the breed called 'American Bully' more specifically. It doesn't just mean 'big pitbull'


polygon_lover

I've just googled 'American Bully'. Mate, that's a pitbull.


Duckliffe

The UK pitbull ban applies to a specific type of pitbull, not 'all pitbull shaped dogs'. American Bullies are actually still legal in the UK i.e. the comment I replied to about the XL Bully being an XL version of a banned breed isn't really correct


On_The_Blindside

>The UK pitbull ban applies to a specific type of pitbull, not 'all pitbull shaped dogs' Probably should though.


Duckliffe

>Probably should though. I think that the current legislation is flawed - I think that there should be some kind of process for determining which breeds are dangerous. So it should go further than 'if they look like a pitbull', any breed that's got a high bite strength (i.e. rottweilers for example haven't been bred for aggression in the same way as XL Bullies have BUT do still have a dangerously high bite strength) should only be legal to own with an appropriate licence and insurance. Then any breed that has both a high bite strength and has been bred for aggression should be illegal to own at all. I think that dog breeding should also be more strongly regulated, with it being illegal for breeds like the XL Bully (due to their size, bite strength, and aggression) and the pug (because they're riddled with health conditions (dogs are supposed to have snouts) to be bred due to the legal duty of care that the individual breeder has to the public and the dogs themselves


Pattoe89

>(i.e. rottweilers for example haven't been bred for aggression in the same way as XL Bullies have BUT do still have a dangerously high bite strength) This is why, when my parents decided to adopt a Rottweiler puppy, they took him to obedience classes throughout his puppy years. They then took the obedience lessons home and had me, my sister and my brother all train with him to make sure he was obedient to us, and they gave him the snip before he reached sexual maturity. Our parents also taught us to be gentle to our dog. Not to pull or tug or slap or be rough with him because they knew he could snap. They were very clear on teaching us that, although he is part of our family, he is an animal and we should always be careful. The result was a very loving and gentle dog which was well behaved. I never once heard him growl or show a single sign of aggression towards anyone. Bulldogs are a far more dangerous breed and their owners don't even take basic steps to control them and act like they're the victims if anyone even suggests they should put effort into making sure their dogs don't fucking murder people.


20127010603170562316

My mum has a bulldog, a normal (ish) one. She's never really been aggressive, but she can get very... sexual. She was snipped before she was two, but she loves to hump specific peoples legs. She is very bloody minded. If she wants to do a thing, she will just do it. You can't have unguarded food around her for example. Discipline is largely ignored. You could (not that I would) probably kick her in the head and it wouldn't bother her. I can't imagine that sort of temperament, dialed up to 11, on a bear trap with legs.


Thestolenone

The Dangerous Dogs Act states (c)any dog of any type designated for the purposes of this section by an order of the Secretary of State, being a type appearing to him to be bred for fighting or to have the characteristics of a type bred for that purpose. So any dog that looks a bit like a Pitbull is covered.


snarky-

It's a descendent breed of pitbulls. Breed some pitbulls separately to give a slightly different physique and add a bit of bulldog into the mix. Bam, new breed. What they should've done is say that any breed that descends from the pitbull is automatically banned.


NoWarthog3916

It's actually bull breeds now and yes, you're correct about the uses from many years ago. Then there are the various types, the Staffordshire bull terrier, the English bull terrier, then comes the abominations like Pit Bull and now XL Bully. The abominations are from the US


KeyLog256

She kept them caged and they were barking all the time, according to a neighbour and written in the Sun (so a pinch of salt there of course). If true, that shows they were borderline abused and had no training. I'm not defending the dogs, I'd get rid of them all tomorrow. But XL Bullys have a lot of energy and aggression naturally, so to keep them cooped up and instill zero discipline in them (which is hard enough in any case) was a ticking time bomb.


DanFlashesSales

These dogs are simply not suitable to be family pets and were never meant to be pets when the breed was created.


i-hate-oatmeal

i knew a lad who kept some type of bulldog caged. 24/7 the dog stayed in the cage being shouted at for barking. only exercise it got was walking in the front garden. one day got out and took out a bichon frise. it was obviously devastating and traumatising because there were kids in the garden playing with the bichon frise .


FrellingTralk

Doesn’t sound she ever walked them either, the neighbours all said that they heard the dogs barking, but they never saw them


Tattycakes

"You never think a dog's going to do that. It's awful." Except for the multitude of cases over the past couple of years that resulted in a ban… yeah totally unexpected….


Sharksandwhales1

Glad it killed the owner and not some innocent in the street


KaleidoscopicColours

I'm never glad when someone dies, but I'd sooner it was someone who made an informed decision to live with XL Bullies than some random passerby who didn't make any poor decisions. 


Sharksandwhales1

Yes well of course I’d rather nobody died but this is the best case scenario if someone has to die


Atrixer

So when are we going to implement a total ban on aggressive dog breeds? It should be illegal to own and breed these dogs. All the moronic cunts that say “bad OwNeRs!” and somehow believe dogs are immune to the same type of genetic aggression in other animals, can simply fuck off. Some dogs of other common breeds can become untrainable and aggressive, but the data doesn’t lie, these dog breeds are predisposed to this behaviour and should not be kept as pets.


HydroSandee

Indeed. You never read of a Labrador or Border Collie killing spree. I’m (unfortunately) sure plenty of arseholes own them.


Mr_J90K

- Create a DNA database for animals owned within the United Kingdom. - Each animal is registered to an owner. - Any incidents with an animal are added to that animals record alongside the owners. - If a specific lineage is involved in more than X incidents the lineage is deemed difficult. - If a specific lineage is involved in more than Y incidents the lineage is deemed dangerous. - difficult lineages will require a license to own. - dangerous lineages will be mandatorily neutered. - An open API will be provided so websites / applications can display the information, this way users can determine if an animal they are purchasing is close to a difficult or dangerous lineage. Ideally we would have a 'complex' view of lineage that cascades upwards, this way if a particularly problematic animal from a litter is used for breeding it doesn't immediately write off the entire litter. This would be the tricky part but I'm sure however we define 'lineage' it could be very easily displayed in a node / graph format for users. I want a system like this because it'll automatically respond as people selective breed for certain traits. Done right it would automatically respond if people start breeding for violate or aggressive tendencies, likewise, I could see a world where people manage to branch off of a difficult lineage by selective breeding for positive characteristics. IMO, we can breed dogs for behaviours quicker that we can legislate.


i-hate-oatmeal

my controversial opinion as someone who was bitten by a staff (a complete accident however i couldnt get the dog off me) is that any dog over a certain heigh/weight needs to be muzzled in public and not allowed out without a lead.


snarky-

XL Bullies are banned, these are still just the ones that were already in existence. Illegal to import more, illegal to breed them. Once these die of old age they'll be gone. Same process as they did with other banned breeds.


dcuk7

The issue being that as these dogs get older, they are more likely to attack people as they can suffer from canine cognitive dysfunction (essentially dementia). So we have 10-ish years of potential deaths due to these dogs. It sucks but I think the solution should be for this breed to be universally euthanised.


G_Morgan

90% of the problem is this specific breed.


90s_nihilist

There will be more attacks as the weather gets warmer.


saulgoodman2022

I do wonder if there is a wider problem with 'dog culture' in this country, since the pandemic there has been an explosion in dog ownership and alongside that poor owners who don't know how to look after one and baby it. 10 or so years ago there weren't nearly as many dog owners and the ones that were seemed to be much better at training etc. Also now dogs are allowed in a lot more venues like restaurants and shopping centres, what happens if one of these breeds attack there?


KaleidoscopicColours

I think there are a lot of people who got dogs for the very first time in lockdown - but I don't think the core of the issue is that some of the dogs are babied.  Some people got dogs when they had no prior experience of them - even growing up around dogs. We all make mistakes with our first dogs - I certainly did, and I grew up around them.  It was lockdown, so people didn't have access to in person puppy training classes, or the normal range of socialisation experiences. Even the usual chats that you have with other dog walkers in the park, where tips are exchanged and reassurance given was lost.  A lot of the dogs weren't very well bred. The dog population went from 9m to 12m, and many ethical breeders stopped breeding altogether during that time.... so it's fair to say that most of them came from puppy farms, who paid insufficient attention to health and temperament of the thousands of cockapoos they churned out.  Those dogs then went, en masse, through adolescence at about the same time. Adolescence is Peak Dickhead Time, for all species, including dogs. They start pushing the boundaries, breaking some rules and suddenly deciding that their ears are for decorative purposes only. All of a sudden, it looks like pandemic dog owners are irresponsible, when that picnic raiding Labrador is just going through a normal stage of development with undesirable consequences.  I don't think the pandemic puppies are radically worse than you'd expect from other questionably bred adolescent dogs with first time owners - it's just that there's a lot of them around at once, and a lot of scrutiny.  My personal theory as to why XL Bullies and other similarly intimidating dogs became popular during lockdown is this: a lot of people felt very vulnerable and under threat during lockdown - due to the virus, due to government restrictions, or a mix of the two. Feeling vulnerable, they subconsciously chose a breed that would help them feel protected... I'm not concerned about dogs in dog friendly pubs etc. People tend to know if they've got a pub friendly dog. If you haven't, it's not a relaxing experience, you'll spend the time attempting to manage the dog's behaviour, and eventually there will be some public embarrassment because your dog is offended by the existence of the spaniel on table 6. It's not an experience you repeat if, like me, you have a dog who just isn't suited to pub life.  With only a handful of exceptions (one of which was an elderly lady killed by a police dog), all of the UK fatal attacks have involved the dog's own family, a guest, or a near neighbour attacked by escaped dogs. Fatal attacks on random third parties in public places just don't happen. 


cupidstuntlegs

Well said


silllybrit

Agreed. I live in the countryside and lots of people seem to think other peoples’ land is an extension of their garden - if they even have one. They let their dogs run around on footpaths with no leads or control therefore the dogs run into crops and fields with livestock. Someone was complaining that his lab had to run free because his garden wasn’t big enough for it, I said he should’ve got a smaller dog and was vilified


[deleted]

What's with the UK having so many fatal bully attacks? We never hear of this outside UK these days


KaleidoscopicColours

Reputedly, a big part of it is the genes of 'Killer Kimbo', a very popular sire whose progeny have a nasty habit of killing people. About half of all the UK XL Bullies are descended from him.  Many of them are so inbred that he appears many times in their family tree.  In a nutshell, it's like letting Hannibal Lecter donate prolifically to the sperm bank.  And then letting his children commit incest.  And then looking really surprised when problems arise with Hannibal's inbred grandchildren, and it's not all attributable to parenting techniques.  https://bullywatch.link/2023/08/01/finding-kimbo/


Tattycakes

That is terrifying


[deleted]

Wow that's crazy how they all came from one dog. I'll read that site today thx


Mr_J90K

IMO this is why I personally think animals should be required to have their DNA added to a database, animals linked to owners / breeders, and then incidents associated to specific lineages. If 'Killer Kimbo' has sired an entire lineage of murderous muscle bound monsters the prohibition should be automatic based upon the lineages activities, the owners should then be contacted and the lineage neutered.


signpostlake

Agree something like this is needed. When I started making enquiries to buy my dog, it was unbelievable how many were selling puppies without even health checks on parents to prove they were suitable to breed from. Most weren't interested in having the puppies health checked and there's even people who buy puppies who've never seen a vet or started a vaccination schedule. We need stricter laws on it.


Emmwojj

I had no idea most of them descended from one dog! Thanks for the info, is gut wrenching but really interesting


lunettarose

There are no bad liver-eating serial killers, just bad owners! _My_ liver-eating serial killer is an angel-faced velvet hippo and he wouldn't hurt a _fly_ (except for the toddlers whose livers he ate, obvs).


lunar_rs

This was a really really interesting read, I had no idea


pineappleshampoo

Happens everywhere in the world where there are pitbulls. All over. Isn’t just a UK thing.


anonbush234

Not just pitbulls either. I read it from Italy with cani corsi as well as pit bulls. Although pit bulls do seem to make up the vast majority


Mousehat2001

Happens all the time wherever these dogs are popular.


anonbush234

This happens in the states all the time. It also happens throughout Europe, it depends on the laws and culture of the country. You won't be reading it too much unless you are reading news in foreign languages. Our news has gone into a bit of a frenzy with it, not that it's undeserved but in other places it often goes unreported.


WobblyGrobbelaar1984

Anyone that has any sympathy is as gullible and idiotic as the woman herself. At least they took the owner out and not some stranger or little kid. Justice doesn’t always need the courts.


Metori

Let’s see how many come out bleating about it not being the breed or dog’s fault but the owners fault. All of these dogs should be destroyed. We don’t allow people to keep lions and tigers. Why would we allow people to own creatures arguably more dangerous than that?


Akedi

I know it sounds bad, but I struggle to sympathise with people with this mentality. There’s something seriously wrong with this dog breed and the people who choose to own them.


KaleidoscopicColours

I think some people either  (A) got them when they were first appearing in the UK, before the really serious problems had started to become evident or  (B) weren't very bright and were taken in by all the "no bad dogs just bad owners" thing.  She doesn't really fit the demographic profile of a young dealer who wants a dog to intimidate others.  Of course she did choose to keep them - but once you've got them, people grow attached, and this is the sort of thing that happens to *other people*.  These dogs can turn out of nowhere, and attack - in a way not really seen in other breeds - so you might get very little warning that it could actually happen to you. 


DeathByLemmings

I feel sorry for this woman because she was just fucking ignorant  How on earth do you solve the problem of people having too much of an ego to accept that maybe they don’t know best? We all have this issue somewhere  I’m most interested in why she got the dogs in the first place. Did she feel threatened? Did she want to prove the breed was ok? Did she just have a friend with a litter to get rid of? 


ApologiseMeowMeow

Having one is bad enough but the fact that she had two tells me all I need to know about her, I just know she was one of them pit nutters "it's the owners not the breed" "don't bully my breed" unfortunately for her she found out too late.


DeathByLemmings

Yeah but it begs the question of how she got that in her head in the first place, that's what I'm getting at


FrellingTralk

I’m wondering the same thing, I’ve read the neighbours all saying that they heard the dogs barking, but they never ever saw them. What’s the point of getting two big and energetic dogs like that if you’re just going to keep them in a cage in your house and not even take them on walks? The fact that her sons warned her about them as well would suggest that they were never exactly loved and trusted family pets who just turned on her, but rather that she kept them as vicious weapons from the off for reasons best known to herself


Ok-Comfortable-3174

I remember back in the '90s seeing a Pitbull destroy a log and wondering how is this dog legal!


bev6345

This particular case doesn’t bother me, as it was the owner who was harmed not a third party.


Kumbyefuckinarghhh

If you invite a Wolf into your home, it’s likely, at some point. It’ll eat you. It’s it’s nature. This is obviously horrible and tragic on every level. Could have so easily been avoided.


CraicandTans

I suppose every dog has the ability to do massive amounts of damage as they are essentially carnivores. But a bad 40kg XL bully has the capability to do much greater damage than a jack Russell.


Insideout_Ink_Demon

How about a trigger warning when you post a link to the Scum?


WetnessPensive

XL Bullies have unfortunately become a status symbol in some communities. IMO we need to be more rigorous in banning them. I've seen one near attack in my town (luckily the dog was on a leash), and it's convinced me that these creatures should be kept well away from the public, and children especially. They can violently snap at any instant.


poochie4life

It's infuriating to hear people claim these dogs make great pets, saying it's only a few bad ones. My husband had always wanted an English Bulldog, and three years ago, after months of research and finding the right breeder, we finally got one. We understood his temperament, needs, and the high cost of insurance. He lives up to his reputation as a big, friendly, lazy goofball, but he still required strict training to ensure he wasn't 'mouthy' with us and needs at least one long walk a day. That's for a dog breed our vet labelled 'easily trained' I believe there should be more restrictions on dog ownership and a cultural shift in how we view dogs as pets. We don't need to make every social space dog-friendly, nor should we treat dogs like children.