An XL Bully owner has muzzled himself in solidarity with the breed as he took his beloved pet dog for a walk as the government crackdown came into force at New Year.
A video shared on social media shows Aidan taking dog Rolo out and about on New Year’s Eve with the pair wearing matching black muzzles in protest against the new law banning the breed.
While walking along the pavement Aidan repeatedly practises training techniques with the well-behaved Rolo, including commands such as ‘sit’ and ‘wait’.
Posting to TikTok, his partner Danielle said: ‘Our first walk with Rolo with the new restrictions and laws against XL bullies.
‘Aidan supporting Rolo today wearing a muzzle and making conversations with passers by, to show our animals should not be demonised by a muzzle or the law.
A video shared on social media shows Aidan taking dog Rolo out and about on New Year’s Eve with the pair wearing matching black muzzles
While walking along the pavement Aidan repeatedly practies training techniques with the well-behaved Rolo, including commands such as ‘sit’ and ‘wait’
‘It is a sad, sad day across the dog communities [sic] today.’
The video has had a mixed reception with many supporters on TikTok, but the couple took to social media again on Monday to plead for kindness after widespread backlash on other platforms.
Danielle said: ‘I totally understand some people don’t understand and I have accepted and come to terms with that. I don’t expect you to.
‘However, this is my dog. A breed which has recently been banned as of [Sunday]. Having individuals screenshot a training video of me trying to express Rolo’s full capabilities as [a] Bully and using it for their own social gain just hasn’t sat right’.
She added she will continue to ‘video and post’ about Rolo and criticised those who used screenshots from the post to illustrate their own points without permission.
The new laws, which came into effect on New Year’s Day, are designed to prevent dog attacks after a rise in incidents in recent years.
It is now an offence for the dogs to be unmuzzled or off the lead in public, while breeding, selling, rehoming and abandoning them is also against the law.
Owners have been urged to apply for a certificate of exemption before the January 31 deadline or face putting their animals down; it will be a criminal offence to own an XL Bully in England and Wales without a certificate from February 1.
The ban has been hotly contested by many XL Bully owners who claim the breed is being unfairly blamed and victimised.
Aidan and Danielle pictured with their XL Bully Rolo before the ban came into force
The couple’s decision to wear a muzzle while walking Rolo comes as other XL Bully owners document their struggles to suddenly persuade their pets to wear them
Animal charities have been urging owners to begin training their dogs to wear muzzles for months
Posting to TikTok , owner Danielle said: ‘Our first walk with Rolo with the new restrictions and laws against XL bullies’
The couple’s decision to wear a muzzle while walking Rolo comes as other XL Bully owners document their struggles to suddenly persuade their pets to wear them.
Owners have been sharing images of their dogs in Facebook groups, with mixed results on getting their dogs to wear the mandatory mouthpieces.
One simply said: ‘The pup is doing well with the muzzle’, but the owner of a four-month-old puppy said their pet ‘struggled this morning and kept crying’.
Another owner, sharing a photo of her two XL Bully type dogs, wrote: ‘Just sat here this morning bawling my eyes out as the news this morning confirms today is the day muzzles need to be worn outside the house.
‘I have two gorgeous XLs…one will walk on the muzzle great but the big bear…is having none of it.
‘He turns into a statue and won’t walk and keeps ripping it off. I feel broken.
‘My babies can’t go on walks together anymore until he can handle the muzzle. I’m just sitting here defeated by it all.’
Animal charities have been urging owners to begin training their dogs to wear muzzles for months. The legislation was announced in September following a spate of fatal and serious attacks, and detailed in full at the end of October.
It comes as campaigners against the law won a temporary injunction that will stop 240 dogs in rescue homes from being put down.
Under the Government’s guidelines, XL Bully dogs that arrived in rescue homes since October 31, which had not been rehomed, would have to be put down because they don’t qualify for an exemption to stay there.
It was thought an estimated 240 dogs would be destroyed as a result until one rescue centre took an injunction to review the rules.
It is now illegal to allow XL Bully dogs to be out in public off the leash and without a muzzle, under new legislation designed to reduce incidents involving the mongrel breed
Some owners say they are struggling to persuade their dogs to wear the muzzles outside: one wrote that one of her dogs ‘won’t walk and keeps ripping it off’
Owners have been sharing images of their XL Bully type dogs in muzzles on social media after the ban was imposed
A High Court Judge has now ordered: ‘No XL Bully dog may be seized from a Rehoming Organisation… and/or destroyed for want of or ineligibility for a certification of exemption on grounds that the dog was taken into the RO’s care after 31 October 2023 until the further Order of the Court.’
XL Bully campaigning group Don’t Ban Me Licence Me said the ruling ‘will strengthen’ their legal challenge to the laws.
In the past two years it is estimated that dog attacks in England have risen by more than a fifth.
Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said the Government had met its pledge to take ‘quick and decisive action’ following a series of attacks, several fatal, believed to be linked to the crossbreed.
But the RSPCA said the measures were ‘not the answer’ and warned of a ‘huge risk’ that rescue centres and vets will be unable to cope with the likely surge in demand.
Samantha Gaines, dog welfare expert at the charity, said: ‘What is really concerning is because the ban has come in at such a pace that there may be owners who are not ready for this, being able to ensure their dog is happy wearing a muzzle.
‘There is some fear that people for whatever reason may have left it a bit late and about what that means.’
She added: ‘Breed is not a good or reliable predictor of aggressive behaviour.
‘Whether or not a dog goes on to use aggressive behaviour depends on how they’ve been bred, how they’ve been raised, their life experiences.’
Instead of targeting dogs with new laws, Dr Gaines said existing legislation should be used more effectively to clamp down on people who exploit and irresponsibly breed the animals.
And she warned against ‘misleading the public that they’re going to be safer when really we have to tackle root causes’.