American bully XL: Wolverhampton dog owner wants ban

Gary Stone said the American bully XL dog should be banned in the UK

A man who saved his dog from an American bully XL dog has said he would support a ban on the animals.

Gary Stone from Wolverhampton said: "They're bred to fight, they're no more safe than a loaded gun."

After a number of attacks, including one in Birmingham at the weekend, Home Secretary Suella Braverman has called for the breed to be banned.

Mr Stone, who went to help his dog with his son, said: "We struggled, a child wouldn't stand a chance in hell."

He said the first he knew of the attack, which happened in April, was when his wife woke him up to tell him their dog Rocky was being attacked by two other dogs.

When he arrived, he said he found his son on the floor "wrestling with a bully XL, trying to hold it with the skin around its neck".

Mr Stone's dog needed treatment costing thousands of pounds

A rottweiler was also there,with blood around its mouth, he said, attempting to get at Rocky, a Tibetan terrier.

Together, the men fought the dogs off long enough to get into their car and get Rocky to a vets.

Mr Stone said he has had to spend thousands of pounds to pay for treatment for his dog, and is now very cautious about taking him out for a walk.

"This had the same effect on me as a car crash," he said.

Mr Stone said he was not worried about rottweilers, "which we've had for years", but argued the size and power of the American bully XLs made them more dangerous.

He added: "I don't see why we should have these dogs in this country."