[Animals] Tuesday briefing: What can – and should – be done to stop attacks by bully XLs?

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Good morning.

Dog attacks have been back in the news after a video of an 11-year-old girl being attacked by an American bully XL surfaced on social media, prompting the home secretary, Suella Braverman, to announce she has commissioned urgent advice on outlawing the dogs – a move criticised as too slow by family members of victims. In the disturbing footage, the girl can be heard screaming as people try to get her to safety. Two men who intervened were taken to hospital to be treated for their wounds.

The story caused an outcry for the breed to be banned, with critics pointing to figures that show bully XLs account for a high number of the fatalities in dog attacks. Because the breed is not recognised by Kennel Club in the UK, there is no clear figure for how many bully XLs are currently owned in the country, but it is slim proportion of the dog population. Yet in 2022, out of the 10 fatal dog attacks, six involved a bully XL – and earlier this month two bully XL dogs were shot dead after killing 24 pregnant sheep in north Wales.

Braverman has said the animals are a “clear and lethal” danger, but the Dog Control Coalition, a group that includes the RSPCA, Battersea Dogs Home and the Royal Kennel Club, have pushed back, insisting the problem is not the breed as a whole, rather the attacks are due to “irresponsible breeding, rearing and ownership”.

For today’s newsletter, I spoke to the Guardian’s Midlands correspondent, Jessica Murray, about how dangerous these dogs are and what can be done to stop the attacks. But first, the headlines.

Five big stories

Environment | The World Bank poured billions of dollars into fossil fuels around the world last year despite repeated promises to refocus on shifting to a low-carbon economy, research for Urgewald, a campaign group that tracks global fossil fuel finance, has found. The money, about $3.7bn (£2.95bn), went through a special form of funding known as trade finance, which is used to facilitate global transactions.

China espionage | MPs have vented their fury over a six-month silence that followed an aide operating at the heart of parliament being arrested on suspicion of allegedly spying for China. On Monday, some voiced concern that the gap meant they had been unable to take their own security precautions.

Health | Vulnerable eating disorder patients from England are being sent hundreds of miles from their homes to Scotland for treatment, as the number of available beds south of the border has dropped in two years. 84 patients were sent from England to Scotland between 2020 to May 23, costing a total of almost £9m.

Teaching | Only half of the required number of trainee secondary school teachers in England have been recruited as the academic year gets under way, analysis shows. The figures, obtained by the National Education Union (NEU) and the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), show ministers are on course to miss their recruitment targets by 48%.

North Korea | Kim Jong-un has arrived in Russia for a rare summit with president Vladimir Putin to discuss a possible deal to supply North Korean arms for the war in Ukraine. Kim’s armoured train arrived at Khasan station, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported today, citing an unnamed Russian official source. The meeting is expected to be held this afternoon in Vladivostok, where Putin has already arrived.

In depth: ‘This type of dog is one of the main perpetrators of an increase in attacks, but some say it’s not that simple’

 

 

American bully XLs are a relatively new breed first thought to have been brought to the UK less than a decade ago. Originating in the US, they are closely related to the pitbull terrier, which was banned in the UK in 1991 as part of the Dangerous Dogs Act. They have been crossbred with English bulldogs, American bulldogs and American Staffordshire terriers to become even bigger and stronger, and became a recognised breed in 2013 in the US by the United Kennel Club. Because of its tough look, this type of dog has become something of a status symbol, with some owners using them as guard dogs.

West Midlands police said the dog involved in an attack in Bordesley Green in Birmingham on Saturday was a “crossbreed bully XL/Staffordshire bull terrier puppy”. The girl who required hospital treatment, Ana Paun, has said: “It was so scary. I was screaming. He let my arm go and then bit my shoulder. I want him [the dog] to go away, to die. I think all of the dogs, the bulldogs, all of them should be banned. The owner should be in prison because he never did anything, he just let the dog bite everyone.”

A documentary by the BBC’s Panorama uncovered links between the breeders of bully XLs and organised crime – sellers were using dogs to make huge amounts of cash and launder money, often at the expense of animal welfare. This trend seems to have waned in recent years but it has nonetheless coloured the image of bully XLs, especially as there is a widely held belief that a significant number of breeders are not as licensed as they should be, Jessica says.