Will this stop attacks on humans? The UK’s home secretary is promising action on a controversial breed after an 11-year-old girl suffered a terrifying ordeal in Birmingham.
Britain considers ban on lethal Bully XL dogs
Will this stop attacks on humans? The UK's home secretary is promising action on a controversial breed after an 11-year-old girl suffered a terrifying ordeal in Birmingham.
Ana Paun was walking home on Saturday when she noticed an enormous dog staring at her. "I got scared, so I started to run," she says - but the dog came tearing after her. It sank its teeth first into her hand and then into her shoulder. Not until a passer-by hit it with a scooter did it let go, allowing Ana to escape into a nearby shop.
The dog went on to attack two other people before police captured it. Both needed hospital treatment, as did Ana.
"This is appalling," wrote the home secretaryIn Britain, they are responsible for national security, immigration and policing. , Suella Braverman, on social media. "The American XL Bully is a clear and lethal danger to our communities... I have commissionedDirected someone to make something or complete a task. urgent advice on banning them."
In the last three years American Bully XLs have been responsible for at least eight deaths in the UK. But the RSPCAThe Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. says the fault lies with their breeders and owners.
Four breeds area already banned in the UK: the pit bull terrier, Japanese tosa, dogo Argentino and fila Brasileiro. But out of 48 deadly attacks between 1989 and 2017, only nine involved those dogs.
In the past five years, dog attacks in England and Wales have risen from 16,000 to 22,000.
One expert, Dr Rachel Casey, says dogs usually become aggressive because they are anxious. They become dangerous if they are looked after badly or not given enough exercise.
Most owners, she says, make a big effort to see that their dogs get on well with people. But some like the idea of having a dog that growls at people because it makes them look tough.
Sometimes, she adds, dogs attack for no obvious reason. But the vast majority of attacks are due to owners mistreating their dogs or other people not knowing how to behave around them.
In Hungary there are laws to ensure that dogs get enough exercise. In Switzerland, owners have to pass a dog-care test.
Will this stop attacks on humans?
Yes: The dogs' size and strength makes them extremely difficult to control, but also makes them attractive to people who want them as an aggressive status symbolSomething that you own that you think shows how important or rich you are.. A ban is the only answer.
No: Rottweilers, a husky and a Cane Corso have also killed people in the past three years. We should enforce strict rules about how dogs are bred and trained, and teach people how to interact with them.
Or... All dogs should require a licence, as they do in Northern Ireland. Licences for potentially dangerous breeds should only be issued to people without criminal records who can look after them properly.
Keywords
Home secretary - In Britain, they are responsible for national security, immigration and policing.
Commissioned - Directed someone to make something or complete a task.
RSPCA - The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Status symbol - Something that you own that you think shows how important or rich you are.
Britain considers ban on lethal Bully XL dogs
Glossary
Home secretary - In Britain, they are responsible for national security, immigration and policing.
Commissioned - Directed someone to make something or complete a task.
RSPCA - The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Status symbol - Something that you own that you think shows how important or rich you are.