A Love Island star who formed a bond with an XL Bully has a message for Rishi Sunak: “The UK are dog lovers and we are sick of being discriminated against!”
Faye Winter, 28, a Guide Dogs ambassador, forged a special relationship with Nala, an XL Bully dog she met at an RSCPA centre in Devon in December.
Winter, who found fame on the 2021 series of the popular dating show, described the dog as “the most beautiful and soppiest girl” and wanted to meet Nala to learn more about the controversial breed.
She told GB News: “These dogs aren't all that they've been portrayed in the media. The dogs don't scare me. It's like people; there are bad people but we're not going to discriminate against them just because you're a certain person or from a certain where you live or your skin colour or any of that.
Faye Winter forged a bond with an XL Bully dog over Christmas
“So I wanted to go and see more. So because I really wanted people to see the other side of these dogs.
Winter admitted that “people are afraid of them” but it’s because “the only thing they see is on social media or in the media which is negative”.
She explained: “So I really wanted to go and show a positive side of these dogs. And she is the most beautiful, soppiest girl.”
Winter, who has received numerous threats online for her endorsement of the XL Bully dogs, is currently working on a petition to bring in stricter laws regarding illegal dog breeding laws.
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Winter is currently working on a petition to bring in stricter laws regarding illegal dog breeding laws
Guide Dogs
She has sought advice from animal charities such as the RSPCA and Battersea Dogs Home, and once the petition is made public, hopes it will eventually become legislation.
Facing the possibility that she will one day present the petition to the House of Commons to be debated, the 28-year-old had a simple message for the Government.
“I would tell them that in the UK we're sick of being discriminated against. We don't want to be discriminated against. It doesn't matter where we're from or what we own or what we have, stop discriminating against us.
“The UK are animal lovers and there’s always going to be a bad egg. But there’s a rise in every single type of crime of in the UK at the moment. And you can’t tarnish everyone with the same brush.”
Winter admitted that 'people are afraid of them' but it’s because 'the only thing they see is on social media or in the media which is negative'
Since February 1 it has been illegal to own an XL Bully unless the dog was registered in advance.
Dogs must also be microchipped, neutered and kept in a secure place, while owners must have third-party liability insurance as well.
A ban on the XL Bully breed was introduced in Britain after a number of deaths and injuries were connected to the animals.
Estimates suggest there have been as many as 24 deaths linked to the breed since 2021, according to The Sun.
Winter conceded that "people have lost their lives and I never want to take away from that.
"But I wanted people to also see that there's another side of these dogs. I know it's easy to say it's not the dog's fault, it's how they're brought up, but I've really discovered that and also how they're bred is a massive part of this."