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BULLY BAN
I feel like a criminal walking down the road after the XL bully ban, there wouldn’t be deaths if owners were like me
Sophie intends to lead by example when it comes to XL Bullies
THIS XL Bully owner may be a law-abiding citizen but feels like a criminal when she takes her pooch out for his walk.
Billy, an XL American Bully under the government guidelines, is a breed now banned in Britain.
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The law came into place at the beginning of the month under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 after the breed was linked to ten deaths in the UK since 2021.
Tensions over the breed are particularly high following the death of grandmother Esther Martin who died in early February while looking after her son's pet.
But despite the terrifying attacks, Sophie argues that it is not the breed that is to blame and says that they can make wonderful pets.
Speaking exclusively to Fabulous, Sophie says: “The new law now means Billy cannot go for a walk without a muzzle.
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“I feel like a criminal walking down the road since the XL Bully ban.
“Some people give me death stares, but other people tell me I congratulate me on my well-behaved pooch.
“Billy is an amazing dog. He’s loving and cuddly. He is so friendly. I refuse to have him judged by people who don't understand his temperament or the ban.
“People will criticise me for owning an XL bully, it’s why I refuse to argue with them.
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“I will answer their questions and educate them. Trolling XL bully owners isn’t the answer - education is.”
The XL American bully breed has exploded in popularity in the last decade in Britain.
I'm a veterinary nurse and the XL bully ban won't solve the issue - if anything, it will just make the problem worse
Rappers and celebrities including megastar Drake have been pictured with the dogs and many people see them as a status symbol.
Meanwhile, some vets have reported horror stories of people giving these dogs steroids and encouraging them to fight.
“Some irresponsible owners have been attracted by the breed's strength and so-called ‘killing machine’ reputation while others have seen the dog as a symbol of wealth,” Sophie says.
“I’m horrified that some people bought XLs to breed from them and sell them for vast amounts just to make cash."
Take time to train
Sophie has spent over 500 hours training Billy including taking him to dog coaching sessions and doggie boot camp.
“I’ve spent over £1,200 having one-on-one training sessions with dog trainers,” she says.
“I will never stop doing the professional dog training, it’s what all responsible dog owners should do.”
Sophie, who lives with her fiance in Wandsworth, London, argues that dogs are not to blame for the dangerous behaviour but instead the owners should take full responsibility.
“It’s not the XL bully dogs which are to blame, it is irresponsible owners who can’t control their dogs or buy them as ‘status’ symbols," says corporate leadership trainer Sophie.
“People who are not willing to train their dogs, exercise them and properly care for them should be banned.
“It’s owners like me and wonderful dogs like Billy who are victimised.”
Ownership of American bully XL dogs is now restricted under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.
Since 31 December 2023, it has been against the law to sell, give away, abandon or breed from an XL bully.
From the start of February, it became a criminal offence to own an XL bully without an exemption certificate.
Sophie is one of the 35,000 dog owners who applied for exemptions before the start of February.
Price to pay
“The exemption cost me £92.50. That’s all I had to do - apply and pay the fee,” she says.
“It means only I can own Billy. He cannot go out in public without being on lead and being muzzled.”
The new law means all XL Bully owners must have third-person public liability cover for each dog. Sophie paid £25 for her Billy’s coverage from the Dogs Trust.
In July the final phase of the XL Bully ban beings. All XLs aged two by July must be neutered.
“Billy will be two years old then. It will cost me £500 to have neutered,” says Sophie who is director of the lobby group Don’t Ban Me License Me.
I do get shocked and horrified looks from people who see me with Billy
Sophie Coulthard
The ban follows ten deaths in Britain caused by XL Bullies since 2021.
The most recent was the tragic death on the weekend of grandmother Esther Martin, 68, who died after being found seriously injured in Jaywick, near Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, on Saturday afternoon.
A 39-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous dog offences and the animals, who Mrs Martin’s family say were XL Bullies, have been destroyed.
“The deaths and injuries suffered by people have been awful, it’s truly tragic,” she says.
“But banning XL Bullies is a knee-jerk reaction. It’s irresponsible owners who are to blame."
Bully boot camp
As a puppy Billy was crate trained, he did puppy training courses with Sophie and the pair went to weekend boot camp for dog owners every second weekend Billy and Sophie have one on one dog and owner lessons from a ‘big dog’ trainer.
“Billy has two long walks a day,” she adds.
“We’re also members of a specialist dog walking group for owners of other large dogs.
“These dogs are of varying breeds and the dogs range in weight from 12 to three stone.
“It’s the key to socialising the dogs and training them. If you own a dog they have to behave, listen to commands and be easily controlled.”
When anti-XL Bully groups started campaigning for the breed to be banned Sophie became the director of The Don’t Ban Me Licence Me lobby campaign.
“All dogs should be licensed,” she says.
“All owners should prove they are having their dogs trained and are responsible owners. This should cover all breeds.”
According to Sophie, most people don’t understand that not all American Bullies are banned.
Sizing things up
The American Bully breed is made up of four categories based on size.
“There is the Pocket, Classic, Standard and then the XL bully and it’s all based on the dog’s height. That’s it,” she says.
A male XL American Bully is only declared an XL if he is taller than 20 inches at the wither and for a female American Bully is 19 inches.
“If your dog is 18 inches then he isn’t considered dangerous or banned,” she says.
“The difference for some dogs is one inch, that's it. It’s like saying people under six feet are legal and anyone over six feet is banned and considered illegal.”
Britains deadly XL Bully attack scourge
Ian "Scouse" Langley, 54, was protecting his puppy when the animal pounced on him outside a home in Sunderland in October 2023.
Ian Price, 52, was viciously savaged in September 2023 by the beasts as he tried to protect his elderly mum from them after they escaped.
Jonathan Hogg, 37, was killed in May 2023 entered the dog's pen when it went for him, leaving bite wounds on his arm, leg and head.
Natasha Johnston, 28, was mauled to death while walking a pack of dogs in January 2023 was believed to have been killed by her own pet - an American Bully XL.
Shirley Patrick, 83, died 17 days after being mauled in a “hellish”, violent dog attack in December 2022.
Ian Symes, 34, who was known to friends as "Wiggy", died at a recreation ground in Fareham, , after the savage attack in August 2022.
Joanne Robinson, 43, was fatally mauled by pet Rocco at her home in Rotherham, South Yorkshire in July 2022.
Keven Jones, 62, went into cardiac arrest after being bitten by Cookie-Doe at Chanel Fong's home in Wrexham, North Wales in May 2022.
Bella-Rae Birch, one, was mauled to death in March 2022 at her home by the American Bully XL.
, 10, was killed by a hulking XL Bully dog named Beast in November 2021 as he played at friend's home in Caerphilly.
Different treatment
Sophie admits that the reaction she gets to her dog differs greatly from person to person.
“I do get shocked and horrified looks from people who see me with Billy,” she says.
“But I have also had hundreds of people come up to me and tell me the ban is unfair. They see Billy, a well-trained lovable dog obeying commands and get confused because of ‘urban myths’ perpetuated about this type of breed.’
“People don’t understand American Bull dogs and American Bullys are two different breeds. There is also breed mislabelling because many other breed types look like bullys and people get confused.
Sophie has shared her training journey with her beloved Billy on social media.
“People see me and don't see me as a typical XL Bully owner,” she says.
“I get dozens of messages on social media telling me how great it is to see a responsible owner. Licensing owners not banning these poor dogs is the solution we need.
“If I die my fiance would have to apply to the government to take ownership of Billy.
“We live in fear that despite Billy being granted an exemption and being highly trained and gentle, If something happened to me, he might be put down.
“I don't want to feel like a criminal.
“A dog isn’t just for Christmas, it’s for life. My beautiful Billy is the centre of our life. I will never stop taking him to dog training lessons and showing all dog owners what responsible ownership is all about.
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“It's irresponsible owners who should be jailed, not the dogs. Billy’s muzzled now but I won’t be muzzled in my campaign to have the ban overturned and replaced with sensible licensing.
“I don't care what the dog-hating trolls say. Billy is a brilliant bully, and he is proof XL’s can be amazing pets.”
A guide to the Dangerous Dog Act
After eleven horrific attacks in 1991, Home Secretary Kenneth Baker promised "to rid the country of the menace of these fighting dogs" by introducing the Dangerous Dogs Act.
The law is often considered controversial as it focuses on a dog's breed or looks instead of an individual dog's behaviour, and fails to stem the rise of dog attacks.
According to the RSPCA, over a third of the people killed by dogs since the act was brought in were attacked by legal breeds.
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