'My dog is an XL Bully and she saved me - she would not hurt anyone'
An XL bully owner has spoken out against proposed laws that could ban the breed, insisting her "little princess" Roxy poses no threat to anyone.
Emma Jepson, 35, welcomed Roxy, a Ridgeback/ XL bully crossbreed, into her home in October 2022. The four year old canine, whom Emma affectionately refers to as her "little princess," is fantastically trained, according to her proud owner.
However, looming legislation threatens to criminalise Emma's ownership of Roxy, a dog she credits with "saving her" following the loss of her beloved Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
Emma, an administrative assistant hailing from Morecambe, Lancashire, expressed her distress at the potential ban, stating: "Hearing about the ban is devastating - Roxy is my little princess. She doesn't have a bad bone in her body - she loves little kids and gives them kisses and cuddles. I trust her 100% - she's so soft."
Emma adopted Roxy after the dog was heartlessly "dumped by her breeder" while heavily pregnant. This came shortly after Emma lost her 14 year old Staffie, Jess, due to old age, and tragically suffered a miscarriage.
XL Bully attack leaves her needing surgery on arms as she tries to save daughter
Emma adopted her beloved dog after she lost her previous pet and suffered a miscarriage (Emma Pinder / SWNS)
Roxy is a Ridgeback/XL Bully cross (Emma Pinder / SWNS)Despite these hardships, Emma considers Roxy her "baby" and envisions a future where her human children will be "her babies alongside my dog babies". Recalling the painful loss of Jess, Emma shared: "Three weeks short of Jess' 15th birthday, she'd gone a bit frail... we sat on the sofa next to her one day, and she lifted her head up as if to say, 'Mummy, it's time.' We took her to the vet, and she died in my arms."
However, the arrival of Roxy brought a glimmer of hope back into Emma's life. She said: "But then we got Roxy - and it was so nice to have a dog waiting for me to come home again. Within a few hours of getting here - she settled in so quickly. She was home, as far as we were concerned."
Roxy, an XL bully, enjoys the freedom of off-lead playtime in the park and is part of a special "dog meet-up" group for other XL bully owners. Despite the reputation of XL bullies and Staffies as "hard" dogs, Emma's family has embraced these misunderstood breeds.
Her mother and sister are proud owners of two Staffies each, insisting they're harmless. Emma, a former prison officer, believes dogs should not be seen as status symbols. She said: "Dogs shouldn't be treated as status symbols - trust me, I used to be a prison officer. A lot of the lads had photos of these dogs in their cells. But my dogs aren't hard - and they weren't brought up in an aggressive way, which shows in their behaviour. If you bring up your dog in a fearful way, that's how they're going to act."
Alongside Roxy, Emma also owns 15-month-old Hewie, who is part-XL bully and described as "just goofy". The pair are trusted around her guinea pig, Teddy Bear, and love giving him kisses. Emma worries that banning certain breeds sets a dangerous precedent while ignoring aggression in others. She said: "Every time I've been bitten by a dog, it's been a Chihuahua. My dogs don't attack others - but every time one goes for them, I can guarantee it's usually a small, yappy dog.
"I've never heard Roxy so much as growl at another dog. Whenever I do, it's usually the Jack Russells or the Yorkshire Terriers. But it would be unfair to blame a specific breed - I wouldn't call for a ban on Terriers just because of that."
Emma fears that the proposed ban could lead to hundreds of XL bullies being euthanized if kennels become too overcrowded to accommodate them. She said: "The kennels are already overflowing and owners are panicking and getting rid. And you know what happens to dogs who can't get adopted. Roxy just wouldn't be able to cope with a muzzle. She can't understand she's done anything wrong. I'd be devastated. They're such fantastic kids".
* This article was crafted with the help of an AI tool, which speeds up The Mirror's editorial research. An editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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