I’m an expert dog trainer – there’s a breed I’d never own…here’s why they’re so dangerous
AN EXPERT dog trainer has revealed the breed he would never own and why they are so dangerous.
Handler Colin Tennant said that certain dogs are sadly being bred for owners who want them to be vicious.
It comes after a spate of horror dog attacks across the country with police recording a rise in maulings in the past five years.
And Colin says that one breed is often targeted to be “bred irresponsibly” instead of being brought up sensibly and socialised at the right age.
American bullies originated in the 1980s and are mixed-breed bulldogs: an American pitbull terrier crossed with American, English and Olde English bulldogs.
But American Bully XLs are now owned by some people as statement dogs, who according to Colin believe “the scarier the dog, the better”.
Colin spoke of his own experiences with American bulldogs and how they can be so dangerous – especially to those with less experience.
The dog handler told The Times: “About eight years ago I had two American bulldogs in my kennels.
“They had bitten a number of people. Although I could handle them and they never attacked me, I’d only have to move in a certain way to put them into attack mode.
“I didn’t let any of my staff go near them. In the end I had to put them down for being too aggressive.
“To me, rehoming these dogs would have been tantamount to leaving poison around a house for a child.”
He warned that if American Bullies are raised in poor environments and not socialised correctly as puppies, “owners will find that they can’t control their dog’s aggression when they reach adolescence”.
Colin added: “A puppy can cost £2,500, which makes them lucrative for inexperienced breeders who create them in large numbers for a big payout.
“They’re bred irresponsibly with exaggerated features: to be more muscular, or with thicker necks or larger heads and jaws, or to be more aggressive.
“It all adds up to one thing: dogs with a low trigger-point with the physical strength to kill.”
Colin also said that it was important to note that other dogs can still bite.
He said: “That doesn’t mean other breeds don’t bite — all dogs can. But when American bullies attack, the result can often be devastating.”
And the dog expert noted that if you ban one aggressive breed, people will just start breeding another new “aggressive ‘designer’ breed”.
As of now, the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act bans four breeds: the pitbull terrier, Japanese tosa, fila Brasiliero and the dogo Argentino.
It comes as Jonathan Hogg, 37, was mauled to death by an American XL Bully earlier this week.
Armed police frantically attempted to control the dog but it was humanely destroyed due to the “significant risk” it posed to the public.
Nearly 9,000 people a year are admitted to hospital with severe dog bites — up from 7,500 in 2017 — costing the NHS an estimated £71 million.
On Thursday, a baby was rushed to hospital with serious injuries after being attacked by a dog in Aldingbourne, Chichester.
While in January this year, four-year-old Alice Stones died after being attacked by a hound in her back garden in Milton Keynes.
Meanwhile, another dog expert also warned against adopting an American XL Bully as a pet.