“They sit for us so we must stand up for them” – Chants from the Bournemouth XL bully protest
Poole Raw Pet Food LTD held a peaceful protest in favour of XL bullies in Bournemouth town.
This follows Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's recent announcement that the XL Bully breed will be banned by the end of 2023 due to increased attacks.
Figure 1 shows that between July 2021 and June 2022, there were 4643 reported dog attacks, compared to 5396 the following year.
This shows a considerable increase in the overall number of dog attacks after July 2021.
Bully Watch UK reports that large bully-type dogs, which make up 1% of the UK dog population, have been involved in 355 attacks as of 2023 and 14 deaths since 2021.
This accounts for 44% of all dog attacks in 2023, as shown in figure 2.
Protestor Shaun Bennett, who owns an American bulldog crossed with a 2XL bully, said: “The government is persecuting a breed of dog unnecessarily.
“When you look at the statistics, they say that it’s an XL bully but they were just bully type.
“They’re not even saying that they were XL bullies that did these attacks.”
Protestor Star, who did not want to give her full name, said: “The problem is how you bring up your dog.
“It’s a stereotype that our bullies attack people and that they’re a bad breed.
“But it’s not the breed it’s the owner.”
Shaun added: “Any dog that attacks should be punished and so should the owner which is why we want breed-specific legislation to end.
“It shouldn’t matter what breed your dog is, if it attacks then your punishment should be the same.”
Four other breeds are currently prohibited in the UK under the Dangerous Dog Act of 1991: The American Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentinos, and Fila Brasileiro.