Banning Bull XL dogs would be futile, the only way to prevent attacks is to bring in dog licences - GP Taylor

In a matter of seconds, I felt the dog bite my arm. The force was so intense that teeth came through the padded sleeve. I stood my ground and tried to shake the dog off. In return, the young dog threw me to the ground as it ripped the sleeve from my arm, dropped it on the grass and eyed me up as if I was a piece of beef.

Just before it launched another attack it was called off. The dog sat down and stared at me with an angry snarl. From then on, I have always had a healthy respect for what any dog is capable of doing.

Ask any Postie and they will tell you where all the dodgy dogs are. The usual suspects always top the list, Alsatians, Bully’s and even Labradors. Last year, there were 2,600 attacks on postal staff.

Dog attacks have risen by nearly 50 per cent in the past five years, and of the 10 fatal attacks in the UK last year, more than half of them involved the controversial American XL Bully.

Something must be done. Thousands of puppies were bought during lockdown and are now not getting the attention they once did. Dog ownership must be restricted, puppy farms closed and dog owners subject to checks.

All larger dogs in a public place should be muzzled and kept on a lead – even on Filey beach. I am sick of seeing dogs let off to run wild across the sands with the owner shouting “Don’t worry, it won’t bite…”

Recently the spotlight has been cast on the XL Bully, a name that covers several types of cross bred Pit Bull and Staffordshire dogs.

They are easy to spot, usually in the company of a short haired male in a tracksuit, arms covered in tattoos.

The dog is never on a lead and ignores the owner's shouted attempts to control it. Any cat or other dog in its path is at risk of death.

That is not a stereotype, it is my valid observation. In recent months, I have watched out for these dogs as I could see a problem developing.

Now we have deaths and injuries caused by XLs hitting the headlines.

In July, I had a nose-to-nose confrontation with the bald headed, potty-mouthed, burly owner of two of these monsters who thought it was quite normal to allow them to harass little kids paddling in the sea.

However, I don’t blame the XL Bully. It is doing what it has been bred to do. They are basically attack dogs, muscular and strong with the bite of a crocodile.

A child would never stand a chance; these beasts are killers in our midst.

The problem is with some of the owners. Let’s be clear, all types of dogs are capable of an attack on a person and many owners of an XL Bully are caring and competent.

It is the rogue element who want a dog as a status symbol, weapon or deterrent that need to be stopped.

I believe it is futile to ban the XL as it will be impossible to describe the dog for the purposes of legislation as the DNA of each animal will be different. Unscrupulous breeders will just create another mix not covered by The Dangerous Dogs Act. An act which came into force after a vicious dog attack left a six-year-old girl in Bradford with life-threatening injuries.

However, in the short term, breeding this type of animal should be banned and all XL’s sterilised so they cannot reproduce.

The only way to stop this problem is to licence the dog owner. Anyone who keeps a dog should be made to pay every year and have public liability insurance. A yearly dog licence of £100 per dog would bring in at least £900m a year.

This would instantly put a stop to the wrong kind of people keeping dogs. Anyone having a dog without a licence should be fined £1,000. Perhaps such a financial penalty would make people wanting a dog to think twice before buying one.

The government could employ wardens with real powers to seize any dog whose owner did not have a licence.

Wardens could also start to do something about the amounts of excrement left behind on my street most days.

As I have said before in this column, something must be done and done quickly to solve the growing problem of dangerous dogs. Lives are being needlessly lost to these attack animals.

There is no real need in our modern society why dogs like the XL Bully should be allowed to be kept. Government must act now to make our streets and beaches safe.

GP Taylor is a writer and broadcaster who lives in Yorkshire.