Two escaped dogs savaged a flock of pregnant sheep, killing 22 and injuring another 48, before the out-of-control American XL bulldogs were shot. A farmer turned his gun on the pair of escaped animals that subjected his livestock to a brutal attack on a Welsh farm.
The financial cost of the incident, including the numerous deaths and injuries, amounted to more than £14,000.
The owner of the two dogs – David Hughes, 26, of Pen y Wern, Rhosllanerchrugog – appeared at Wrexham Magistrates’ Court where he admitted being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control and being the owner of a dog worrying livestock. Hughes was banned from keeping dogs for five years and ordered to pay £900 in fines.
“Why is my dog bred to fight and kill, fighting and killing?”
“It’s a problem with the owner and not the dog.”
We really need to update or replace the Dangerous Dogs Act, both expanding the banned breeds and giving larger penalties having them.
I was confused why you wrote this about bulldogs at first. As this is what I’m pretty sure all Americans think of bulldogs.
Short cuddley little guys who just love to be couch potatoes and slobber everywhere.
Then I realized this article is talking about pitbulls…never heard them called American xl bulldogs, always just pitbulls.
Learn something everyday.
I’d never heard the term either here in the US.
Apparently a “bully” is a pitbull/bulldog cross, and XL is a larger variety.
Yeah they do not look anything like what I expected them to be, definitely pitbulls and this doesn’t surprise me in the least that they killed sheep. They’re just dangerous dogs.
Tbf I generally here them referred to as “XL Bullies” rather than bulldog
Because there is demand for it. Ban this breed and the demand does not go away, it will just switch to a new breed that isn’t banned as its done before.
The way that they define dog breeds on the list is pretty shit as well, especially when a simple cross breed can circumvent it (have a look at how many pittie crosses can be picked up from dog rehoming centres) and the police don’t get involved until the dogs already gone too far.
License the breeders, sell only neutered and chipped dogs unless to another licensed breeders, and make the breeders responsible for the dog to match an agreed healthy standard for the breed with aggressive and unhealthy breeds being bred out of existence.
Sure, there will always be unlicensed breeders but use big fines to enable the RSPCA and vets to actually enforce it. Granted it will take up to 15 years from implementation to really kick in but just adding yet another dog to the list is just not working.
A £900 fine? He didn’t even have to compensate the farmer?
Fines are different than restitution
(22 + 48) * 250 = £17500 ($22,091) is roughly the cost of the sheep, that’s not calculating time/food cost put into the flock already, some were pregnant. Likely a total loss for the farmer, dog owner is a scumbag, ban bully breeds IMO.
The article states £14000
Generally those kind of valuations are calculated on cost of 1:1 replacement.
I wonder if thats more of an insurance thing? Like the farmer would claim and the insurance company goes after the dog owner for the money
And then farmer gets stiffed with increased insurance premiums. I really hope that’s not how it works.
Hopefully the farmer can directly sue the owner for actual and emotional damages with Farm insurance covering the legal costs.
I know it’s not really related to this news, but there’s a family at school who bring their XL down to the school gates at pickup and dropoff and every single time I see it I worry what it could do to the kids if it ever decided to go off. The dog owner wouldn’t stand a chance, it’s built like a [sturdy outdoor toilet made of bricks] and would probably just drag her along.
I can’t imagine how much force these dogs can exert on the lead when they want to bolt, even my mates Shitzu can get some going when he wants to pull and these are ten times the size.
Unless he gets compensation (this year, not £10 a week), this farmer could well go out of business. There need to be serious change in the licensing and enforcing.
Imagine those two dogs in a school playground.
Hughes needs to be banned from ever having a dog, 10 years jail and every thing he owns (and future wages/benefits garnished if necessary) sold to compensate for the loss of this farmer’s livelihood.
