An XL Bully owner in Oxfordshire has said she’d "sooner go to jail than lose [her] dogs" and worries "every day" about them being taken away.
The comments come as the controversial breed is just days away from being banned in the UK after a spate of dog-related deaths.
Aichaa, from Bicester, said: "Every day I worry about them being taken away from me."
"My dogs are calm. They're very playful and excitable, but their temperaments are fine. They're not aggressive, they'd never hurt anybody," she told BBC today.
The owner said: 'Every day I worry about them being taken away from me' (File Pic)
WikiCommonsDespite her support for the breed, Aichaa admitted that her five-year-old daughter had been bitten by a friend’s XL Bully and remained nervous around the dogs.
With February 1 – the day XL Bullies will be illegal to own without an exemption certificate – approaching, Aichaa has said the fault lies with XL Bully owners.
She said: "It's ridiculous. I understand they're big dogs, they're strong, and they could cause a lot of damage, but it's down to the owners of the dog, because any dog is capable to bite and attack and hurt somebody.
"A dog is a reflection of how they are raised by their owner. I don't think you should discriminate a dog breed, you should be getting onto the owners."
Aichaa said she sees herself as a responsible owner, keeps her two XL Bullies on the lead, and is muzzle training them both – both necessary steps to sidestepping the ban.LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Environment Secretary Steve Barclay is enforcing the XL Bully ban
PAHowever, she says she still worries about the future of her dogs – one-year-old Zaviour and four-month-old Diamond – who are finding it difficult to adapt.
Owners across the country have rallied against the breed’s ban in England and Wales under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
By November last year, campaigners from Don’t Ban Me – License Me had raised almost £100,000 to fund a judicial review into then-Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey’s proposed clampdown.
At the same time, dozens of XL Bully owners assembled to protest the ban in Coventry with Bully Linkups UK, a group aiming to "keep the UK bully scene alive".
Bath rugby star Ben Spencer also joined the debate, calling his XL Bully a "family member" and advocating for responsible dog ownership in the interests of public safety.
However, others supported restrictions, with one owner of three calling the dogs "bloodthirsty killing machines".
XL Bullies had been smuggled into Scotland to escape the south-of-the-border restrictions, but Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf finally moved to ban the breed last week.
But Britons keen on owning large dogs are already looking to other breeds – interest in Cane Corsos on pet marketplace website Puppies shot up towards the end of 2023.