The couple said they wanted to make the dogs welcome after it was announced the breed would be banned in Britain following a spate of attacks and deaths.
A Leeds couple who run a dog grooming business have opened their doors to the banned XL Bully breed. Last year, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the breed would be banned in Britain following a series of attacks and deaths.
Dog attacks have increased over the past five years, with 10 fatal incidents in the UK last year alone. More than half of these fatal incidents were reported to involve an American XL Bully. Despite this, Nicole Jackson, 26, and Jamal Birch, 28, are embracing the forbidden race in their grooming business.
Nicole, who has co-owned LS RAW GroomingandAccessories with her partner for the past year, said: “We are treating those dogs no different, we don’t want owners to have to worry about being able to take their dog to a groomer.”
He added: “There’s so much hate about XL Bullys everywhere at the moment, but we want to create a normal experience reserved for dogs. We’re fully insured for dogs so they don’t have to wear a muzzle. We I want to try to help.” Nicole also revealed: “We get so many phone calls from people who have been turned away from other groomers, saying they can’t enter, or they won’t accept the breed.”
Nicole, who loves her Pocket Bully dog, says she wants to make things better for banned breeds. She mentioned: “There has been so much trouble and we do understand it, we understand why it is happening. But, there is no need to be so harsh… especially with the number of dogs that are more aggressive than XL.”
“We just want to do a positive thing. I have my own branded muzzles coming, which will be comfortable for the dogs to wear.” Nicole and Jamal also help out at dog shelters and try to support their community as much as they can. Nicole added: “We just want to help as much as we can, it’s sad what’s going on.” The Blue Cross charity explained the new rules: “The government has added the XL bully type to the list of prohibited dangerous. It is now illegal to breed, sell, advertise, barter, gift, take home , abandon or allow XL bully type dogs to stray. England and Wales.”
You must also have an exemption certificate from the government and adhere to additional restrictions including keeping them on a lead and muzzled in public, having them neutered and having third party liability insurance. We know that many XL bully type dogs are much loved family pets. In order not to catch them, you have to make sure”
