A dog expert has named the breeds he’d never consider owning and explained why.
Colin Tennant, a dog handler in the UK, said certain breeds of dogs were bred to please owners who wanted them vicious.
2
It comes after a spate of horror dog attacks across the country with police recording a rise in maulings in the past five years.
Colin says one breed of dog is “bred irresponsibly”, instead being raised sensibly, and socialised by the correct age.
American Bullies are a mix of bulldogs that were developed in the 1980s. They consist of an American Pitbull Terrier crossed with American English, and Olde English Bulldogs.
Some people now own American Bully XLs as “statement dogs”, who, according to Colin, believe that the scarier the animal, the more it is loved.
Colin talked about his experiences with American Bulldogs, and how dangerous they are – particularly to people with little experience.
A dog owner told The Times“About 8 years ago, I kept two American Bulldogs.
They had bit a few people. Although I could handle them and they never attacked me, I’d only have to move in a certain way to put them into attack mode.
“I didn’t let any of my staff go near them. They were too aggressive and I was forced to reprimand them.
Rehoming the dogs to me would be like leaving poison all over a house with a small child.
He warned that if American Bullies are raised in poor environments and not socialised correctly as puppies, “owners will find that they can’t control their dog’s aggression when they reach adolescence”.
Colin added: “A puppy can cost £2,500, which makes them lucrative for inexperienced breeders who create them in large numbers for a big payout.
“They’re bred irresponsibly with exaggerated features: to be more muscular, or with thicker necks or larger heads and jaws, or to be more aggressive.
It all comes down to this: Dogs with low-trigger points and the strength to kill.
Colin said it is important to remember that dogs of other breeds can also bite.
He said: “That doesn’t mean other breeds don’t bite — all dogs can. “But when American bullies are attacked, the results can be often devastating.”
Dog expert said that people would simply breed another aggressive “designer breed” if they banned one.
The 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act currently bans the following breeds: pitbull terriers, Japanese tosas, fila Brasilieros and dogo Argentinos.
Jonathan Hogg (37) was killed by an American bully earlier in the week.
The dog was frantically controlled by armed police, but the animal had to be humanely killed due to its “significant” risk to public safety.
Nearly 9,000 people a year are admitted to hospital with severe dog bites — up from 7,500 in 2017 — costing the NHS an estimated £71 million.
A baby boy was born on ThursdayUrgently rushed to hospitalA dog attacked the victim in Aldingbourne near Chichester, causing serious injuries.
While in January this year, four-year-old Alice Stones died after being attacked by a hound in her back garden in Milton Keynes.
A second dog expert warned that an American XL bully is not a good pet.
2