12 September 2023 , 05:51
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Thousands of bully-type dogs are still being sold online across the UK for anybody to buy without checks.
There are currently 1,303 American Bully dogs and puppies for sale on online marketplace Freeads, while on Pets4Homes there are 866 puppies being sold. Meanwhile, on gumtree there are 163 XL Bullys for sale - the breed behind half of all dog-related deaths in the UK since 2021.
It comes six months after a Mirror investigation revealed the animals were being sold on sites such as Gumtree or Pets4Homes. American bullys and their variants can fetch as much as £6,000 on the online marketplaces.
Several people currently selling bully-type dogs online allude to the animals having behavioural problems. One owner selling her American bully ‘urgently’ for £300 on Freeads described her pup, which is just 10-months-old, as being already a “big heavy boy”.
She added: “Unfortunately my boy wasn’t the right choice for my family. A big hyper dog and three young children. This isn’t what I want to do but it just isn’t fair on him or the kids right now.”
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Another, who had originally paid £6,000 for their pocket bully - a smaller version of the American Bully, said she had listed the dog on Freeads for £1000 to £1,500 after it had a fight with her other dog. One dog listing in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear for a male 15-month-old American Bully XL going for £850 said it was not neutered as the vet was unable to get him upstairs to sedate him.
The owner added: “Looking for an only dog home as can be vicious towards other dogs, hence the reason for rehoming. My older boys are 10 and he’s attacked both of them mainly over food. You will need to be able to handle him as he is strong.”
Another nine-month-old American Bully on Gumtree had received a few offers - despite the owner saying she had behavioural issues and the listing showed the pet wearing a muzzle. American bullys are a cross of various guard dog breeds including the American pit bull terrier, a breed banned in the UK under the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act.
Examples of American Bullys for sale on the internet on GumtreeDog experts have previously warned that these cross-breed animals can be difficult to control. XL bullys, the largest bully type, can weigh as much as 10 stone. Animal behaviourist Zoe Willingham told The Mirror: “We need to look at the reasons why these dogs have attacked. Unscrupulous breeders are breeding them to be guard dogs and having these aggressive tendencies.
“But then they are falling into family homes as pets, which is how you end up with this situation of people trying to sell them on because they can’t control them and don’t know what they are taking on and not seeking advice about how to look after these dogs or keep themselves safe.”
Do you think American XL bully dogs should be banned? Vote in our poll HERE to have your say.
Joseph Rindsland, head of trust and safety at Gumtree said: "At Gumtree, nothing is more important to us than the safety of our users and the welfare of the animals listed on our site. We pride ourselves on being a responsible platform and as a member of the Pets Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) – the UK’s trade body covering online animal sales made up of 25 welfare organisations including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Dogs Trust, and the RSPCA among others – we will always follow Government advice and legislation. Should the Home Office move forward with a ban, our dedicated safety team would make sure that it was reflected in our posting policies."
“In the meantime, we would ask that all our users seriously consider the characteristics of a dog, and their needs, before agreeing to rehome a pet. We have comprehensive educational material about different breeds on our site which we would strongly recommend users read carefully.”
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A spokesperson for Pets4Homes said: “Pets4Homes takes our commitment to the safe rehoming of pets seriously. We work with responsible and vetted breeders, provide detailed breed guidelines to those considering rehoming a dog, and work closely with authorities to ensure that we adhere to all UK laws. We do not feature breeds that Defra or PAAG (the Pet Advertising Advisory Group) have a recommendation against rehoming. Should the law or recommendations change on this specific breed, we will update our policies.”