UK ban on American XL bully dogs boosts demand for muzzles | Dangerous dogs

“I’ve been up until midnight answering emails from people because they’re worried and scared. No one is sure what is going to happen next but people are trying to get ahead of the curve and they want to make sure they’ve got a muzzle their dog is comfortable in and doesn’t make them more aggressive.”

The UK’s chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss, stated there can be an amnesty before a ban on XL bullies, below which homeowners can be required to register their pet, have them neutered and microchipped and preserve them leashed and muzzled in public.

Details of precisely how homeowners can register their dogs, and when the brand new guidelines will come into drive, haven’t but been launched.

Maddie Bell-Ashe, a canine walker and coach at TLC Dog Academy in Milton Keynes, considered one of plenty of organisations providing free muzzle coaching lessons for XL bully homeowners, stated: “People have only got a few months to help condition their dogs to wearing a muzzle and they’re really worried. Owners need to know how to fit them properly.

“The first class we announced was booked up really quickly and the next one is filling up fast, distressingly fast. We’re getting the responsible breed owners, they want to look after their dog and they will do anything in their power to keep their dog.”

She added: “Many of the owners are devastated. So many people are taking these massive soft lumps of love who want nothing more than to just lick people and are having to restrict them.”

Sunak’s announcement got here after plenty of assaults by XL bullies. This month Ian Price, 52, was mauled to death by two dogs believed to be XL bullies, in Staffordshire. Six of the 10 fatal dog attacks within the UK final yr have been linked to XL bullies, and at the very least three of the seven this yr.

Animal welfare organisations have criticised the ban, saying it is not going to cease canine assaults and that “unscrupulous breeders and irresponsible owners” are responsible.

Delahunty stated the elevated media protection of canine assaults had affected all canine homeowners, and her firm had seen elevated demand for muzzles for all breeds.

“I think people are worried it is going to go down the road where all dogs have to be muzzled in some places,” she stated. “The manufacturers are actually struggling to keep up with the demand.

“We’ve also had more demand for different colours. There was one muzzle we only had in black but more people were wanting a soft, feminine colour, because people want to put something on their dog that doesn’t scream their dog is aggressive.”

Bell-Ashe stated getting dogs used to carrying a muzzle might be a problem, particularly for animals which can be nervous or anxious. She stated her lessons concerned firstly encouraging the canine to place its nostril inside a cone or jug, earlier than working as much as placing their face in a muzzle with out the straps for 10-15 seconds at a time.

“Most dogs pick it up within a couple of weeks, but it depends on the dog and also the type of muzzle,” she stated. “Some of them clip at the back and that sound alone can be a lot for some dogs and you have to work separately to desensitise them to the sound as it’s right at the back of their ears.

“If you don’t do it properly, dogs can scratch their faces up trying to claw it off.”