A close friend of a Scot killed by an American XL bully dog said he would have opposed a ban on the breed if he was still alive.
Dad of five Adam Watts was trying to restrain the powerful animal when it turned on him at Juniper Kennels in Kirkton of Auchterhouse, near Dundee in December 2021.
On Friday, Prime Minster Rishi Sunak announced plans to ban the dogs by the end of the year following a recent spate of attacks, including the death of 52 year old Ian Price in Walsall last week.
The Scottish Government have said they are considering a similar ban to bring Scotland into line with the rest of the UK.
Jayne Dendle, from Wales, got to know Adam over many years through her organisation Save Our Seized Dogs, and often placed animals with him.
Jayne said: “Adam would have been against any government ban.
“He would have taken the view that it is the owners and breeders not the dogs who are the problem.
“Adam worked with dogs that had a few issues and always turned them round into amazing animals.”
Police had placed the XL in Adam’s care for rehabilitation after it attacked two dogs in Dundee and bit a woman on the leg.
Jayne’s group is dedicated to assisting owners whose pets have been seized under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
She added: “Adam thought that every dog deserved a chance and would not have liked to a breed banned or put down as is being proposed.
“He would not have seen a ban as the solution
“People are contacting me to say they are now terrified that they will have to put their pets down when the ban comes into place.”
Jayne would like to see some compromise legislation where XL owners are required to have their dogs muzzled in public and kept on leads.
She added: “Adam never saw the wrong in the dog, he always thought each dog could be turned around.
“The public needs to be kept safe, but the ban is not the answer for doing that.”
Adam had run Juniper Kennels for 20 years and took in animals from the Scottish SPCA and Police Scotland, including dogs seized under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
The Sunday Mail attempted to contact his family in Dundee yesterday but was unable to reach them.
The attack by the XL bully left his sons orphaned after his wife was lost to cancer in 2013.
The dog was put down.
Its previous owner was banned from keeping animals for five years after he admitted to twice being in charge of an XL bully dangerously out of control.
Last night an owner of an XL bully type dog defended them.
Grandmother Jacqueline Bonner, 43, from Coatbridge, has two - Thunder and Violet - which she keeps in her home.
She said: “They should stop blaming the dogs and begin blaming the owners.
“There are no bad dogs just bad owners.
“I have two sons, 13 and 20, and they love the dogs.
“They are very affectionate and loving animals.”
She added: “I also have a one year old granddaughter who in my house all the time and I have no worries about her with the dogs.
“The dogs are fine with other dogs and owners when they are out walking and they never cause any bother
“We even get people coming up in the street and clapping them.”
A 42-year-old owner from Wishaw, who asked not to be named, said there are a large number of other XL owners in the housing estate where he lives.
He added: “My two dogs are fine and they have never shown any aggression at all to my son who is 13 and my eight nieces and nephews
“My son, who has Spina Bifida, is heartbroken that he may lose her.
“This ban is a knee jerk reaction to all the hysteria that is being worked up.
“The incidents are due to irresponsible owners who do not look after their dogs.
“If you keep your dog on a lead there should be no problem.
“Once you let the dog off the lead you are no longer in control and that is when the attacks happen.”
The XL is not recognised by the main British dog associations, such as the Kennel Club.
It can weigh more than nine stone (60kg) and is said to be strong enough to overpower an adult.
* Hundreds of American XL bully dogs are for sale across Scotland - sometimes for thousands of pounds each.
The Sunday Mail found scores of them puppies being advertised for prices ranging from £500 to £5,000 each on sites like Gumtree and on social media.
An owner in Dunfermline was hoping to make £25,000 by selling five of them which were a rare blue colour.
One of the Guntree sellers was Jacqueline Bonner, 43, from Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, who is advertising seven puppies, five male and two female, at £1234 each.
She has two adult XL bully dogs Thunder and Violet.
Jacqueline has had a lot of interest since she put them up for sale several weeks ago but fears that will tail off with news of the proposed ban.
She added: “I am now concerned that might not be able to find a home for them.”
Yesterday it was revealed that one of the two dogs who killed Ian Price near his home in Walsall last week - a female- may have been bought as a puppy in Scotland.
The 30-year-old owner - who was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter - has posted pictures of his massive dogs on Facebook.
In one post he said: “I got her from Scotland, him from London.”
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https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiVWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmRhaWx5cmVjb3JkLmNvLnVrL25ld3Mvc2NvdHRpc2gtbmV3cy9mcmllbmQtc2NvdC1raWxsZWQteGwtYnVsbHktMzA5NTg0MDPSAVlodHRwczovL3d3dy5kYWlseXJlY29yZC5jby51ay9uZXdzL3Njb3R0aXNoLW5ld3MvZnJpZW5kLXNjb3Qta2lsbGVkLXhsLWJ1bGx5LTMwOTU4NDAzLmFtcA?oc=5
2023-09-17 03:30:00Z
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