XL bully owner 'left in tears' by abuse since ban

Sara Drewett says Blue has scars from where his muzzle rubs him

Owners of a banned dog breed say they experience verbal abuse, stares and people crossing the road to avoid them due to a lack of understanding.

The XL bully breed was banned at the end of 2023 after the government said it was linked to a high proportion of fatal attacks. Owners are now required to have an exemption certificate and comply with a list of conditions.

Sara Drewett said reactions to her dog since the ban had left her in tears. She believes it is not fit for purpose as "we don't tar all humans with the same brush when they commit a crime".

The government said it "remained committed" to the ban and ensuring it was fully implemented "to protect communities from dangerous dogs".

"We expect all XL Bully owners to comply with the conditions which are vital to protect the public," the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson added.

Ms Drewett, who lives close to the Wiltshire border in Hampshire, said her dog Blue had "lots of admirers before the ban" with many people approaching them to say hello.

However, she said she had been left in tears as people's reactions had changed since she was required to muzzle him.

Kenzie Evans is trying to educate people about XL bullies with the help of her dog Trigger

There are now approximately 57,000 XL bullies registered in England and Wales and PC Paul Croft, a dog legislation officer for Wiltshire Police, said the law had needed to change.

"With the rate of attacks and the level of injury and fatalities. The government had to do something," he said.

In several cases, XL bullies are known to have killed their owners and children.

"Owning a banned breed dog comes with a whole range of conditions including walking a dog on the lead with a muzzle when out in public and that includes in your car," PC Croft explained.

Since the law change, it has been illegal to sell, give away, abandon or breed from an XL bully.

Kenzie Evans, from Wiltshire, said she had been asked by people why she kept her two-year-old XL bully, Trigger, and believed this was down to a lack of understanding around the breed.

Trigger has his own social media account

"He's banned because of a law, he's not banned because he's naughty or he's going to bite anyone," she said.

Ms Evans, from Upavon, said she wanted to change how members of the public saw the breed.

She said she took Trigger "everywhere" so she could "help educate" people when they pulled their children away. He also wears colourful muzzles with special tags, like "good boy" to prompt conversations.

Angie Crumlish, from Bulford in Wiltshire, owns an XL bully called Oden and said she was hopeful one day perceptions might change.

Ms Crumlish said Oden would not have been her last XL bully if the ban had not come in

"He has a whole lot of love to give which is a shame because people are less likely to say hello.

"We see peoples faces when they see the dog…the big wide-eyed looks, pulling their children in and their dogs in," she said.

"The only thing we can do is continue to get out there with Oden and the rest of our pets and just show people who they are really," Ms Crumlish said.