A wheelchair-user who owns an American XL bully as an help canine helps banning the breed within the UK, saying “it would be selfish for me not to advocate for this ban”.
Jerome Johnson, from Thornton Heath, south London, has had muscular dystrophy since beginning, a situation which progressively causes muscle tissues to weaken, and he mentioned he’s “unable to move, other than a few fingers”.
Mr Johnson, 31, is helped by his help canine Jennie, a seven-year-old XL bully, who carries gadgets like his looking for him, but additionally “provides protection” and “guards” him after they go away home.
Having owned her since November 2018, Mr Johnson mentioned he has needed to practice her over a interval of 5 years to “rewire her brain”, as he suspected she was “trained to attack” from being “bred to fight for a county lines drug dealing operation”.
Mr Johnson says he loves his canine and “she’s a good girl in my house”, however the banning of the breed within the UK “should be implemented” and “is needed”.
It comes as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has mentioned American XL bully dogs shall be banned by the top of the yr, following a sequence of assaults.
Owners is not going to see their pets culled however are prone to face new restrictions, together with a requirement to have the dogs neutered.
Mr Johnson obtained Jennie as a rescue in November 2018 when she was two years old, saying he suspected she had been “bred to fight for a county lines drug dealing operation in nearby Thornton Heath”.
“They used her as protection when doing drops,” he mentioned.
“I took her in after their operations had been shut down by the Met (Police).”
Mr Johnson mentioned it has taken about 5 years to retrain her, which has been exhausting work however “we are almost there”.
He mentioned he undertook “basic training” when Jennie first arrived, in addition to a couple of fetching instructions.
“She ripped through multiple tyres on my wheelchair which wasn’t ideal,” he mentioned.
“Initially, I cannot lie, it was hard work.
“She was trained, after all, to attack, so I had to train her and rewire her brain.
“Now, five years later, we are almost there.”
He added that Jennie was initially “very aggressive” however has “mellowed” over the years.
“Occasionally she will bite my wheelchair which isn’t ideal but I think it’s more her playful nature than anything malicious,” he mentioned.
Mr Johnson mentioned Jennie carries issues like his buying however “most importantly” helps to guard him.
Recalling an incident when he was coming back from a hospital appointment a couple of weeks in the past, Mr Johnson mentioned he was “accosted by a gang of youths”.
“Luckily I had Jennie, who lunged for one,” he mentioned. “They all ran, it was a great relief.”
Mr Johnson mentioned: “I think the ban is needed, as much as I love Jennie, there are far too many bad owners who use these dogs for ill intent – just like Jennie had before me.
“As much as she’s a good girl in my house, I couldn’t say I’d trust her with strangers alone.
“They have been bred for years and have a genetic make-up making them more prone to violent outbursts.
“I think it would be selfish for me to say otherwise – too many children have lost their lives.”
