The owner of an XL Bully has said he is “furious” at the decision to ban the breed, claiming his beloved pet “just wants to give kisses”.
Rishi Sunak pledged to ban the unrecognised breed after a spate of attacks left dozens injured and some dead.
As part of the new legislation, the “breeding, selling, advertising, rehoming, abandoning and allowing of an XL Bully dogs to stray will be illegal”.
The dogs will also be required to be on leads in public spaces, with owners advised that breeding these dogs will be a criminal offence, as will rehoming them.
Sean Adams, 34, said his three-year-old XL Bully Remynikki was “soft” and “wouldn’t harm anyone”. He he is “furious” he will have to keep the animal on a lead, with it eventually being a requirement to muzzle them in public.
Mr Adams, from Alvaston, Derby, told DerbyshireLive: “I have friends with kids, she’s so soft around them. She won’t jump on them, won’t hurt them at all, she might just give them a kiss if they let her, but that’s it.
“I just find it stupid that they can single one dog breed out. If one human does something bad we’re not going to ban all humans, are we? I’m particularly annoyed to find that Rishi Sunak has a golden labrador, which is the same dog breed that bit my hand and left me with a huge scar, why aren’t they being banned? They are just as capable of injuring someone as the XL’s are.
“They need to concentrate on who the owners are, how they train their dog and what environment the dog is in. If you leave a dog by itself for long periods of time it will not get the chance to understand humans and socialise with people. That’s when a dog can turn nasty.”
He added that he had “never seen an XL Bully misbehave”, despite a number of attacks that have taken place this year.
From February 1, any owners with an XL Bully found without a certificate of exemption will face a criminal record and an unlimited fine, as well as a chance that the dog could be seized.
When included on the list of exempted dogs, owners are also expected to microchip, muzzle and neuter any XL Bully-type dogs.
According to Bully Watch, a group set up by dog owners to monitor the breed, 45 percent of dog attacks that took place this year involved an XL Bully.
Meanwhile, at least six out of 10 fatal dog attacks in the UK in the last year also involved the breed.
