A Leeds dog grooming business is opening its doors to the banned XL Bully breed

A Leeds couple who own their own dog grooming business say they are making it their mission to make stray dogs welcome.

Last year, Rishi Sunak announced that the American XL bully dog ​​breed would be banned in Britain following a spate of attacks and deaths. Over the past five years, dog attacks have increased dramatically, with 10 fatal dog attacks in the UK last year and it is reported that more than half of those killing incidents involved a American XL Bully.

But Leeds couple Nicole Jackson, 26, and Jamal Birch, 28, opened their grooming business with the banned dog.

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Nicole, who owned LS RAW Grooming&Accessories, with her partner last year, said: “We treat those dogs no differently, we don’t want owners to worry about being able to bring their dog to a groomer.

“There is so much anger about XL Bullys everywhere at the moment, but we want to create a normal experience reserved for dogs. We are fully insured for dogs so they don’t have to wear a muzzle. We want to try to help.

“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 is the proud owner of a Pocket Bully dog, said she wanted to create a positive and comfortable experience for the banned breed, she added: “There have been so many problems and we understand it, we understand why it happens.. But, there is no need for how cruel it is… especially with the amount of people who have 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.”

Along with their business, Nicole and Jamal also visit dog rescue centers to donate to shelters and do whatever they can for the local community. Nicole added: “We just want to help as much as we can, it’s sad what’s going on.”

The Blue Cross charity said of the ban: “The government has added XL bully types to the list of prohibited dangerous. It is now illegal to breed, sell, advertise, exchange, gift, bring home at home, abandon or allow XL bully type dogs to stray in 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. To avoid catching them, you will need to make sure that:

• you have your certificate of exemption
• your dog is microchipped and neutered (by the given deadlines)
• they are kept on lead and muzzled in a public place, including in cars
• they are kept in a safe place so that they cannot escape
• you have third party public liability insurance cover for your dog