A MUM who owns two XL bully puppies has spoken out about her "soft and gentle" dogs following the news that the government has plans to ban the breed.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Friday (September 15) that he "promised" to ban the breed by the end of the year following a spate of dog attacks.
Existing owners could be required to neuter their dogs and muzzle them in public when the ban comes in, according to government officials.
Ashlea Jade, from Ellesmere Port, owns eight-month-old XL bullies Honey and Hank.
She described the puppies as "amazing" and said how they would "never hurt another animal, person or child".
Speaking to the Globe, she said: "I've got three children aged six, four and one and they are both perfect with them.
"They are so good with other kids and animals, and I have never had any issues with them."
Ashlea's six-year-old daughter, Ellzah, has spent her life living with health conditions. Doctors think she may have autism or ADHD, which causes her to be a "touchy" person.
Ashlea explained that Ellzah has a "really strong bond" with Honey.
"Honey has been doing dog shows with Ellzah", she said.
"When Ellzah is having breakdowns she turns to Honey to make her feel better. They've just got such an unbreakable bond.
"She’s not taken to any other dogs like she has to these. My mum has Bull Mastiffs and Sausage dogs and Ellzah pushes them away.
"We would be gutted as a family if we had to put them down."
Speaking about the recent news about the ban on XL Bullies, Ashlea said it is "heartbreaking".
She added: "I’ve got two amazing bullies that live with us our family. It would be so hard with Ellzah because she is so close with them.
"There are a few bad dogs and all the rest are getting punished for it.
"It's like giving all children a bad name just because one child is badly behaved."
Ashlea wants to raise awareness that not all XL Bullies are dangerous, and it ultimately comes down to the owners.
She said: "With dogs in general, like Pitbulls and Bullies, they have just been tarnished because of the sheer size of them.
"People just look at this big mean dog but they’re soft and gentle and they're not shown for what good they can do.
"It is just down to bad owners and bad breeders."
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