I’m a veterinary nurse and the XL bully ban won’t solve the issue – if anything, it will just make the problem worse
A VETERINARY nurse has shared her thoughts on the XL bully ban – as she claimed it ‘won’t solve the issue’ and if anything, will just ‘make the problem worse’.
Not only this, but Eve, the animal lover, claimed that she would resign if she would told to put down a healthy XL bully.
Sharing her thoughts online, the veterinary nurse claimed that there’s been a lot of backyard breeding and money making going on with the XL bullies.
Not only this, but she claimed that these dogs have been going to the wrong owners and therefore are not getting the care they need, which as a result, has caused behaviour issues.
Opening up on social media, Eve said: “As a Veterinary Nurse, this is my opinion on the XL bully ban situation.
“Firstly, I’d like to say that if the government, or anyone in fact, thinks that I’m holding an XL bully, which is a well trained, well loved family pet, I’m holding this animal and consoling the family while we ‘destroy’, like it’s an item, while we destroy this baby – no thank you.
“Take me off the register. I’ll hand my notice in. I resign. I’m gonna go and do a different job. I’m not doing it.
“It is mentally and and soul destroying enough having to assist and hold an animal, a poorly animal, while we put them to sleep, when we’re ending suffering and we’re doing something good.
“Doing that on a healthy, happy animal, no, no. I can’t handle that. My soul cannot handle that. So I’m not doing it.”
Discussing the breed in general, Eve continued: “Yes, they are a big dog and they do have potential to cause harm, but as does any dog, especially obviously a large dog.
“Any dog that you get and if you do not correctly socialise them from being a puppy, if you do not train them correctly, if they are not getting enough exercise, if it doesn’t have enough mental stimulation, and also if that specific breed doesn’t suit your lifestyle, would end up with a dog with problem behaviours.
“You can’t get a dog that won’t suit your lifestyle and then wonder why the dog has problems.
“I think there’s been a lot of backyard breeding and money making going on with the XL bullies.
“They’ve not been doing the correct home checks. These animals have been going into the wrong people, bad owners, and not getting everything they need. And then they wonder why these animals have problem behaviours.
“The difference is when an XL bully has a problem behaviour or an issue with aggression, it’s not the same as a Chihuahua having an issue with aggression.
“The dog I would say that I am most likely to get bitten by at work would be a Chihuahua or a French bulldog. I love both of them. I don’t go around shunning an entire breed and saying that Chihuahuas should get banned.
“But the difference is, if I get bit by a Chihuahua, the most I’m gonna need is maybe some stitches and some antibiotics.
“If the same thing happens with an XL bully or a German Shepherd, or a Rottweiler, I could potentially be hospitalised or it could be fatal.
“So that just means people owning big dogs who have the potential to cause harm, there should be some more restrictions or licensing around it or people should just be educated and know what they’re getting into before they go and buy the dog.”
Eve then revealed that she was bitten by a dog when she was a child, but admitted that it wasn’t the dogs’ fault, it was hers.
She explained: “I got bitten when I was a child. I got attacked by a Labrador. So I was 11 years old and I was on the way to the hospital and the family were taking this Labrador to the vets to be put to sleep and I begged my mum, I said ‘mum, please can you ring them and get them not to.’
“At 11 years old, I knew dog behaviour and I knew that it was the people that were at fault as to why that happened. Yet the government is full of adults and they can’t even figure that out.”
The animal pro then explained that banning the breed won’t solve the issue, as she claimed: “We’ve done this before. We do it with German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Pitbulls, Staffies. And this method of trying to fix the issue didn’t work.
“Anybody who is a bad owner and has given this breed a bad name is now just going to move on to another breed.
“All we’ve now done is all these families who have well trained, well exercised, XL bullies are now gonna be scared to go out in public and walk the dog because they getting abuse hurled at them all the time.
“They’re getting the police rang on them and so now all these well trained, well socialised dogs are not going to be taken out. They’re not getting exercise, they’re not getting socialised and we’re gonna wonder why there’s gonna be a sudden surge in dogs with issues.
“If anything, surely this has just made the problem worse, hasn’t it? Come on.
“So I really feel for all these XL bully owners and just know I’m on your side because this must be really s**t and I’m really sorry that you’re going through this. So keep your pet safe.”
Eve then explained: “There’s still so much more to say. This subject is far more complex than just a blanket ban on an entire breed.
“It won’t solve the problem, it will just change the breed these bad owners and backyard breeders choose to ruin.
“Meanwhile all of the responsible owners with lovely XL bullies are now too scared to leave the house.
“I just feel like there are multiple steps we could have taken first.”
The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @eve_the_veterinary_nurse, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly amassed a whopping 371,000 views.
Many social media users agreed with Eve, including XL bully owners, many of whom took to the comments to share their thoughts.
One person said: “I’ve got an XL bully, he’s a rescue, he’s the sweetest baby. I’m terrified to take him out. I hate this.”
Another added: “I’m an XL owner…. and I’ve been in tears for weeks thinking I will never be able to let him chase his ball on the beach no more.”
A third commented: “100% agree we need more people like you. I don’t have an XL but I know two and they are the sweetest dogs!”
Meanwhile, someone else claimed: “I have a Staffy, we took him out and 3 people accused me off having a dangerous XL Bully. Most aren’t even educated on what a XL bully even is.”
Whilst another veterinary nurse shared: “Don’t think I’ve actually met an aggressive XL bully, nearly got bitten by a dachshund today though.”
Eve’s video comes as a new law was passed in England and Wales on New Year’s Eve bringing the XL Bully breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak revealed in September that the dangerous breed would be banned by the end of 2023 after a spate of horror attacks.
From December 31, advertising, gifting and exchanging the mutts has been outlawed and they must be kept in a secure place to prevent escape, the Government says.
The legislation makes breeding, selling, advertising, exchanging, gifting, rehoming, abandoning or allowing XL Bully dogs to stray illegal.
Dogs that are more than one year old after New Year‘s Eve must be neutered by June 30 while younger dogs must receive the same treatment by December 31.
Plus, people who already own the hounds will have to keep them muzzled whenever they leave their homes.
On the likes of TikTok, people are illegally trying to sell puppies by sharing videos of them with the captions “for sale” and “going cheap”.
Owners have been reminded that they can ask a vet to euthanize their pets and claim £200 compensation.
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