r/BanPitBulls • u/Thick_Marzipan_1375 • 1d ago
"We still see people walking around with these dogs without muzzles. It appears that no one is checking that the dogs are registered until an attack has happened… Who is checking if owners move or if the dogs are passed around to different owners? We don’t think the laws are being enforced.”
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/32249257/xl-bully-ban-attacks-bloodbath-law-change/
The sickening XL Bully bloodbath that proves ban has failed… as fatal dog attacks RISE in 2024 despite crackdown
Traumatised victims tell The Sun they feared they were 'going to die' during gruesome attacks.
IT was a scene to send shivers down the spine of any parent.
Wrestling with the jaws of a rampaging XL Bully, a mother desperately battled to free her eight-month-old baby girl as the hound "picked her up like a rag doll and shook her".
The terrifying incident, which saw the tot airlifted to hospital in Kent earlier this month, came just weeks after 10-year-old Savannah Benthamwas savaged to death by a dog of the same breed in her family's caravan in Malton, North Yorkshire.
These little girls are two of the latest dog attack victims of 2024 - with the death toll now even higher than 2023, despite the wide-reaching XL Bully ban rolled out at the start of the year.
On February 1, it became illegal to own an American Bully XL dog in England and Wales without a certificate of exemption. They must be kept on a lead and muzzled in public places and it's illegal to breed or sell them.
The ban was brought in after a number of high-profile cases in which people were killed by the breed - including that of Ian Price, who died trying to protect his elderly mother from two crazed XLs who had escaped from a neighbour's window in Staffordshire.
However, despite the crackdown, a total of 10 people have been killed by out-of-control dogs since February in horrific and bloody attacks across the UK - five of those by XL Bullies.
The tally is an unexpected and worrying rise from 2023, which saw nine people lose their lives from dog attacks, with three of them concerning the controversial breed.
Today, grieving families, experts and XL Bully attack victims tell The Sun that the ban has been an absolute failure and urge the Government to do more to stop the devastating attacks.
Much-loved grandma Esther Martin, 68, was killed in a savage attack by two XL Bullies in front of her traumatised grandson in Jaywick, Essex on February 9 - just days after the ban was rolled out.
Her grandson's father - wannabe rapper Ashley Warren, who owned the two dogs named Beauty and Bear and their six puppies - was arrested on suspicion of dangerous dog offences and is awaiting trial.
Esther's daughters, Sonia Martin and Kelly Fretwell, who cannot talk about their mum’s case until the court case is concluded, say they do not think the XL Bully ban has worked.
“Sadly we don’t think anything has changed since our mum’s death," they tell The Sun.
"We have heard of attacks by XL Bullies on people and other dogs regularly.
"Not all attacks get reported in the media, we just see people posting about them in Facebook groups and community groups.
"No single agency seems to be collecting the statistics on attacks. We’ve reached out to Defra and the police and no one seems to have any up to date figures nor total figures for attacks since the law was implemented.
"We still see people walking around with these dogs without muzzles. It appears that no one is checking that the dogs are registered until an attack has happened - by then it’s too late.
"Who is checking if owners move or if the dogs are passed around to different owners? We don’t think the laws are being enforced.
"To be honest, we think a different solution is needed, maybe a training programme and behaviour checks on these dogs, so that the law is proactive in identifying dogs that are a danger to humans.”
Defra said it did not keep statistics on dog attacks as they were kept by local agencies such as the police and the NHS.
Worrying rise
The Sun sent Freedom of Information requests to 16 of the biggest police forces in England and Wales to ask for statistics on reports of dog attacks in 2024 compared to 2023.
So far, only West Yorkshire Police has responded with figures.
They recorded 987 reports of out-of-control dogs injuring people from January to October 2024, compared to 949 from the same period last year.
They did not have available stats for the types of dogs involved in each attack.
Other police forces said it was either too time-consuming to collate and provide the figures, or they planned to release them at a later date.
Meanwhile, victims who have survived vicious attacks by the dogs also don't believe anything has changed since former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the ban last September.
One teenager mauled by a 50kg XL Bully in a vicious attack where she believed she was going to die tells The Sun she doesn't support the ban.
Gilana Milner, 19, was working in an animal rescue centre when an XL Bully named Hugo lunged at her while she was changing his water bowl.
The huge dog dragged her to the floor, mauling her chest and leg, and staff had to fight him off when he refused to unclamp his jaws.
Gilana Milner, Dog Attack Survivor
Terrified Gilana, who was just 18 at the time of the incident, thought she was going to die in the attack back in May.
Gilana, a day care worker, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, said: "They go for the big arteries in your legs.
"When they've got you down they go for your neck.
"I just kept thinking about my mum. I knew I was going to die and I didn't want to."
Despite being left with scarring, nerve damage and needing therapy to overcome the trauma, Gilana does not agree with the ban on the breed.
Gilana said: "I'm doing OK physically, mentally it's still distressing and I'm currently having therapy.
"But I don't agree with the ban, it's not fair to put the dogs to sleep.
"It's more on the owners, there should be more in place.
"If you don't know the dog, you could underestimate how powerful they are.
"People see a big cuddly dog and don't realise that it could end very differently."
'Owners to blame'
Another victim, Sophie Dollimore, 22, who was also attacked by what she believes was a banned XL Bully, is calling for harsher punishments for the owners of dangerous dogs.
Sophie was walking her dog - a Staffy named Brandy - at around 9.40pm on July 3 in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, when an out-of-control dog bit her on the leg.
Sophie, who is now too scared to leave her home because of the attack, told The Sun: "I thought I wasn't scared of dogs, but I am now.
"It's not the dog's fault at all, they're just doing what they're trained to do.
"I blame the owners, it's bad training.
"I don't agree with the ban but think owners should be screened before being able to own an XL Bully.
"You need to be physically strong enough to handle them.
"The power behind the dog was shocking, I didn't expect to be knocked to the ground like that.
"I'm too scared to leave the house now, I'm paranoid that I'll get bitten again.
"The ban doesn't work at all because people are still getting hurt.
"There is no enforcement of the ban, there's not point having it because no one listens and people still are being attacked."
In relation to Sophie's case, Hertfordshire Police said: "A 53-year-old man from Hatfield was arrested in August on suspicion of being the owner/person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury.
"He was questioned and released on police bail while enquiries continue."
'Worst offender' dogs
James McNally, known as the "dog bite lawyer", works to obtain compensation for victims of dog attacks and says he has seen no reduction in the number of cases since the ban came into place.
James, who gave evidence to the Defra committee on the XL Bully ban last November, told The Sun: "It's been pretty much exactly the same [as last year] - we haven't seen any decrease in dog attacks since the ban and we didn't expect to.
"Interestingly we didn't have a single inquiry regarding an XL Bully attack in 2023.
"The 'worst offender' dogs are the same as they have always been. German Shepherds, Staffies, those kind of dogs - they have always been the top of the list of dogs causing the most bites and injuries. That has not changed.
"Even when the XL Bully 'scare' was at its worst, it was still the other dogs responsible for the most attacks.
"All dogs can bite. You get the wrong dog on the wrong day, it will bite you. That might be because the dog is aggressive, or ill, or because the dog is reacting to a situation and the person hasn't read the warning signs.
"The problem is the bigger the dog, the more severe that bite is."
James says the Government's XL Bully ban was a "cheap and easy fix" which has done nothing to reduce the overall number of people being attacked by dogs.
He says deliver drivers and joggers are the most likely to be victim of a dog attack - and the four most common dogs his company deals with claims against are German Shepherds, Border Collies, Staffordshire Bull terriers and Rottweilers.
"We probably have about 400 live cases and of those only one XL Bully. When we've counted up before it's been something like 73 different breeds and 82 cross breeds," he said.
"So it's pretty much all dogs, that's the thing and that's when why the XL Bully ban came in no one really explored what the issue was behind the spike in dog attack fatalities.
"There were no studies into why this had happened.... it was a very simple fix for the Government at the time because all they had to do was add that name to the banned list and they didn't really have to do much else.
James McNally, Dog Bite Lawyer
"It completely ignored the fact that we are seeing a rise in dog attacks generally.
"It was an easy and cheap fix which didn't address the problems - which is often dog owners.
"Many just don't realise that their dog could bite, so I think there is a generally lack of awareness from an awful lot of dog owners as to what they should be doing.
"They may well see themselves as the most responsible dog owner in the world, but if you're walking the dog with the view it's never going to hurt anyone then you are mistaken.
"The fact we're still seeing fatalities and attacks shows it hasn't really solved the issue, it was just a quick fix by a government which wanted to score some brownie points."
Simple steps
James believes that dog owners can take simple steps to lessen the risks posed by their pets, but many don't because they think their dog would never bite.
"Our relationship with dogs is that they are seen as family members and that's why people are so trusting and they leave children with dogs and put them in situations they shouldn't be in because of that," he said.
"They think their dog will never hurt anyone. Even as little as putting a letter box cage on their door so the dog can't bite anyone making a delivery or making sure their dog is secure when the Amazon guy is coming - those are things that could massively reduce injuries.
"We've also seen an increase in people being attacked in public places and I think that it's people walking their dogs while looking at mobile phones.
"They are completely distracted and aren't keeping an eye on their dogs."
26
u/ItWasTheChuauaha Pro-Pet; therefore Anti-Pit 1d ago
I agree that the ban here hasn't worked. There shouldn't have been any exemption.
9
u/drivewaypancakes Dax, Kara, Aziz, Xavier, Triniti, Beau, and Mia 22h ago
Yeah, not really a ban with "yes you can keep your frankenmauler if you pinky swear to muzzle him in public, but we won't be checking"
25
u/Any_Group_2251 1d ago
But I don't agree with the ban, it's not fair to put the dogs to sleep.
It's more on the owners, there should be more in place.
If you don't know the dog, you could underestimate how powerful they are
People see a big cuddly dog and don't realise that it could end very differently
The ban is needed. It is fair to put killer dogs to sleep.
Miss Milner, what more should be in place to convince you these aren't big cuddly dogs? What specifically? Please give the reporter an example. Because clearly you thought they were, so if a government education campaign was 'in place' would you have taken heed of it??
If it doesn't work on you, what chance has it to work on the owners?
You don't want regulation with certificates, mandatory de-sexing, insurance, compulsory muzzle and lead - but you want something in place..........rightio.
4
u/Prize_Ad_1850 20h ago
Who in their right mind would ever see an XL bully and go “awww , there’s a big cuddly dog”
this woman is high on something.
2
u/Any_Group_2251 8h ago
No doubt.
The average man or woman on the street doesn't need to 'know' a dog to see it's a hulking beast of pure muscle.
Wouldn't touch them with a 10-ft pole.
My teddy in my younger years was the length of my arm and had no sharp teeth or 100lb of muscle.
What size teddies were they cuddling?!
2
21
u/Any_Group_2251 1d ago
Miss Dollimore, I think you need to read to yourself what you have said, because each sentence is a contradiction;
"It's not the dog's fault at all, they're just doing what they're trained to do."
"I blame the owners, it's bad training.
Now, either the owner was very successful (aka good) in training his XL Bully to maul you, or he poorly trained (aka bad) his XL Bully to prevent it from mauling you. You cannot have it both ways.
"owners should be screened before being able to own an XL Bully"
"there's not point having it because no one listens"
Well, if no one listens, what hope have we got of the prospective owners telling the truth on a questionnaire screening form?
I would also add, that albeit after the fact, a registration, as was required prior to restrictions, is a form of screening process. Note that it was completed online or mailed in, which indicates the government does not have the resources to personally interview each and every prospective XL Bully dog owner.
"You need to be physically strong enough to handle them."
"The power behind the dog was shocking, I didn't expect to be knocked to the ground..."
Who do you think is physically strong, and brave, enough to stop the XL bully when in full kill mode? Should this be a question in your fabled screening process? Are you of average weight and height for a woman? It knocked you down, therefore all female prospective XL bully owners will need to tick that box that says 'no I cannot hold back 100lb of pure muscle and hormonal drive'.
Please seek counselling if not to get your civilian confidence back, but hear professional and frank advice.
20
u/Any_Group_2251 1d ago
Ah but Mr McNally, those mauled by an XL Bully aren't alive to tell their tales.
Remember 'dead men...hire no dog bite lawyers'.
I agree that there is a lack of acceptance that their cuddle-bug wiggle-butt can hurt, you are a smart man and I know a good place for you to start. I dare you sir, to walk into RSPCA, Battersea, Dogs Trust, Blue Cross et al. and proclaim your advice to the staff loudly. See how you are received.
Because their pet profiles spout a lot of cutesy, fluff talk that contradicts your sage advice. After all, the will say anything to any prospective purchaser to buy their product and get it out the kennel door.
5
u/not-a-fucktard Escaped a Close Call 23h ago
Support for bloodsport dogs is only fuelled by survivorship bias. The exemptions should have never been offered.
14
u/Any_Group_2251 1d ago
"maybe a training programme and behaviour checks on these dogs, so that the law is proactive in identifying dogs that are a danger to humans.”
Or you could just take £50 out of your pocket and light it on fire. Same result. XL Bully dogs are not a case of one and done. Their genetics cannot be trained out of them. XL Bully owners will post aggressive behaviour to social media, before they would tell an officer of the law. Who would perform these behavioural checks? Will policemen and women pro-actively knock on 50,000 doors each month to check behaviour? One man's proactive identification, is one man's breed specific 'discriminationnnn!!'
I give my condolences to you, the little grandchild, and to your mother. No one or thing was going to stop that scumbag from obtaining those dogs. This is the world being made for us now. All common sense has gone.
10
u/Smurf_Crime_Scene Victim Sympathizer 1d ago
The problem is the exemptions. It will take a decade for these exempted dogs to phase out.
10
u/Warm-Marsupial8912 1d ago
The ban was put in place to halt the increasing population of dogs that kill. It is normal pit lobby protocol to change the conversation to bites. Sure labs, the most popular breed, bite. And that is traumatic and we want to avoid it. But it is usually a single bite, and includes "went for the toy, got your finger by mistake" but they aren't prolonged unprovoked attacks. And collies, bred to work alone on farms and not to live bored out of their minds in noisy city centres, bite. But bite once, they aren't mauling. If shit for brains XL owners still can't see the dangers that is their look out
When DBMLM went to court they ended up going along these lines and the judge asked if they were asking for a cull of all bullies.
But absolutely come down hard on their owners. We've seen prison sentences this month and that needs to be the norm, along with speedy destruction of the dog. I mean the average, dim-witted, pit owner will still believe they are special but we have to fight back
9
u/feralfantastic 1d ago
Aw, James McNally falls back on the ‘attacks’ metric, because he knows the people he’s appealing to (XL owners) are fucking dumb.
Also, it’s unclear to me why a victim would hire a private attorney for a criminal proceeding. Does the UK not have restitution? I assume that private attorneys are hired when criminal proceedings are insufficient or the victim is just especially monied and unhappy with the outcome of a criminal proceeding.
A net increase in dog attacks is still good for the public if there are fewer attacks of significant, pit bull damage. This is something even a child could understand.
Also no excuse for non enforcement. DDA provides conditions for compliance that can be satisfied by visual inspection. Balls and/or no muzzle? That’s a ticket, and maybe you lose your dog.
7
u/fartaround4477 1d ago edited 1d ago
The traditional British love for animals has taken a wrong turn when survivors of bully attacks defend the right of these monsters to exist. The dog fighting subculture needs to be eradicated but apparently it's just too profitable.
1
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
IF YOU ARE POSTING AN ATTACK - PLEASE INCLUDE DATE AND LOCATION IN THE POST TITLE, and please paste the article text in the post so it's easy to read.
This helps keep the sub organized and easily searchable.
Posts missing this information may be removed and asked to repost.
Welcome to BanPitBulls! This is a reminder that this is a victims' subreddit with the primary goal to discuss attacks by and the inherent dangers of pit bulls.
Users should assume that any comment made in this subreddit will be reported by pit bull supporters, so please familiarize yourself with the rules of our sub to prevent having your account sanctioned by Reddit.
If you need information and resources on self-defense, or a guide for "After the attack", please see our side bar (or FAQ).
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
46
u/Desinformo 1d ago
yeah this guy is bullshitting, there's just NO WAY, that pitbulls make most of the attacks on humans on the USA, on Chile, or in Italy, but "magically" in the UK pitbulls and XL mixes "just don't make the list, but border collies do" L-M-A-O, I'm not buying a single word this "lawyer" says, and it's clear as the day how he's twisting the situation, twisting the words, using "but whataboutism", and using euphemist to say "yes, there's a problem in the UK regarding dog attacks, but the pitbull breed has absolutely nothing to do with it *tehee*"
your own country created pitbulls to fight and kill other dogs for fun, shithead, you just can't pretend there isn't a problem when you, yourselves and your cunt countrymen caused the problem in the first case!!! you're just trying to distract the public attention from pitbulls and try to move the blame onto humans or other dogs as if the breed itself had nothing wrong with it, it was just created to nanny kids, right?
my god... and to think that there's "lawyers" like him on the UK, or the one in the US that said that "we don't know if the children was crying before the attack", and even here in chile we got idiots from the "colegio veterinario" saying and parroting like a mantra the same stupid shit they read online from first world countries....
the fact that pitbulls seem to be a problem WORLDWIDE, regardless of language, culture and society should fucking tell you something about the dogs themselves shouldn't it? but who I am kidding, they perfectly know this, but they earn their bread for shit situations like this, they're literally making bank from people's and dogs/cats suffering. to that I say FUCK YOU with much love from chili :)