Grantham Journal poll shows small majority agree with potential ban on XL bully dog breed

A small majority of people think the American XL bully dog breed should be banned, according to a Journal poll.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the breed could be banned in the UK by the end of the year following an increase in attacks.

Grantham man Joshua, who owns 14-month-old XL bully Rolo, thinks the potential ban is “ludicrous” as his dog is “one of the most loyal, caring and loving dogs anyone could ask for.”

In a previous Journal story, Joshua added: “The negative light that is being shed on these poor dogs at the moment is heartbreaking.

“We do understand that there are dangerous dogs out there, but the main reason for this is because they haven’t had the time put into them to be taught how to not be aggressive.”

In the Journal poll we ran last week we asked readers if they thought the breed should be banned in the UK and 54 per cent of people agreed it should.

The poll also revealed there was only a 10 vote difference between the options.

In a recent Journal social post searching for XL bully owners in the Grantham area, some people shared their views on the potential ban.

Michelle Armstrong said: “It’s not bad breeds, it’s bad owners.

“Maybe a law all dogs [should be] muzzled in public. This would protect the dogs as well as [the] public.”

Adrian Speed shared a similar view to Michelle and said: “It’s all about each dog individually.”

However, Silvia Potts said that it was “not always the owners”.