XL bully owners gathered in Duthie Park despite organisers cancelling the event to voice their concerns over the incoming ban on the breed.
Organisers had proposed a meet-up at the bandstand earlier this month but was cancelled after news broke that Scotland could also be set to introduce a ban on the breed.
A recent law was passed effectively banning anyone from owning an XL Bully in England and Wales from February 1 unless under specific conditions.
Owners must show proof of exemption to own an XL bully after a series of negative headlines spotlighted the breed for its aggressive and sometimes killer instinct.
Similar legislation could be enforced in Scotland, where some dogs have been transported after being abandoned due to the incoming ban.
The ban has resulted in many dogs being abandoned by owners who use them for breeding and fighting, perpetuating the breed’s negative image.
While the event was officially cancelled The P&J went along and spoke to some of the owners who did show up.
Speaking to some owners at Duthie Park they blamed the irresponsible owners/breeders for the XL Bully’s bad reputation.
Sarah McCallum, from Aberdeen, recently adopted an XL bully named Callie and says she is completely against the ban.
She said: “It’s the owners, not the breed. We adopted Callie just recently and she is so friendly, it feels like she was always meant to be in our home.”
Ms McCallum notes that she actually has more trouble with her four Chihuahuas than Callie.
‘It’s not a bad dog, it’s a bad owner’
“It’s my Chihuahuas that give me more problems than Callie, it’s been much easier to train an XL bully.
“I fear for the social side of things, dogs are meant to socialise with humans and other dogs and that creates a good balanced dog, so I don’t believe they should be muzzled.
“Smaller dogs can be more vicious and I trust Callie with children more than my other dogs.”
Ms McCallum says that owners should be consulted on the measures the Scottish Government should take when it comes to XL bullies.
She added: “It’s going to cause a lot of problems.”
Adam Reid, whose six-month-old XL bully Zack can look intimidating to passersby says the band is “ridiculous”.
He believes the negativity around XL bullies has been “over-exaggerated” and that it is the fault of the “irresponsible owners”.
While excitable when other dogs are around, Mr Reid said Zack is a “total softy”.
Mark Napier has a four-year-old XL bully called King Santos, who is a large dog. He says he mostly sleeps for hours on end and is quite laid back.
Mr Napier recently brought another dog into his home and while he says she does things to potentially antagonise Santos, he is too easy-going to bother.
Owners described their XL bullies as ‘friendly’ and a ‘total softy’
He also makes it clear that dogs shouldn’t be muzzled as they cannot socialise with other dogs.
He said: “It’s not a bad dog, it’s a bad owner. It’s not fair that the breed should be penalised because you end up penalising good dogs that are owned by good owners.”
In a discussion with the owners, Mr Napier said he believed the government should introduce dog licenses to keep track of dogs.
More home inspections should be carried out as well to ensure dogs are not being bred.
There was also talk of how far things go and if breeders will just move on to another breed once the ban is in place.
One person said that “the breeders could turn any dog into a dangerous dog”.
While at Duthie Park, each owner had their XL bully on a leash, but several owners allowed other dogs to run wild off the leash.
The ban could come into force in Scotland within the next few weeks and afterwards, owners will need a certificate of exemption to own an XL bully.
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Conversation