XL bully owners rush to give up their dogs

Dog pounds and charities across Ireland are taking in American XL bully dogs that are being abandoned or surrendered before the ban on the breed comes into effect.
The abandonment of the dogs poses a threat to public safety as animals that are hungry or disorientated can be more aggressive.
The dangerous nature of the XL bully breed was underlined again last week when a girl from the village of Lixnaw, Co Kerry, was mauled.
The one-year-old is believed to have been in her mother’s arms when the dog lunged at her, pulled her to the ground and bit her.
The girl was taken to University Hospital Kerry before being transferred to Cork University Hospital due to the serious nature of the injuries.
Heather Humphreys, the minister for rural and community development, has announced that the dogs will be banned from October following the death in June of Nicole Morey, 23, who was set upon by an XL bully in her home in Limerick.
The regulations will prohibit the import, breeding, selling and rehoming of the dogs. From February 1, owners will need to possess an exemption certificate to keep the breed at all.
To obtain the certificate, owners must prove that their dog is microchipped and neutered. They must also keep the animal on a lead and muzzled at all times when in public, and in a secure place when at home to prevent escape.
“Trying to rehome and help these dogs is now very difficult,” said Brenda Fitzpatrick of Working Animal Guardians, a Dublin rescue group.
“We have a huge population of these dogs aged three to four. They were bred during lockdown and sold for €3,000 each. These animals had their ears cropped to make them look more dangerous. We are now seeing the results of unfettered breeding.
“Those we are rescuing is a drop in the ocean compared with the number that we believe will be abandoned, dumped or strayed.”
XL bullies are sometimes used as status symbols by people involved in crime and gang culture. Fitzpatrick believes such owners will simply move to another breed of dangerous dog once the ban is in force.
Ownership of XL bully dogs increased dramatically during the pandemic, quickly followed by an increase in abandonment.
XL bullies originated in the US in the 1990s and are a mix of American pit bull terriers and American, English and French bulldogs. The dogs can be bred in sizes from XXL to a miniature.
The breed is not recognised by the Irish Kennel Club, meaning there is no standard way to describe it. Some dogs are given steroids to make them look more muscular.
Dogs Aid, a rescue service in Dublin, said it was receiving up to 20 calls a day from XL bully owners who wanted to surrender their dogs rather than have them neutered and registered to avail of the exemption to the ban.
“We can’t take them in as we allow dogs to mix,” said Maggie Howard, one of the charity’s founders.