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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Jessica Murray

Perfect pets or dangerous dogs? The sudden, surprising rise of American bully XLs

An American bully XL with cropped ears. The practice is illegal in England and Wales, but it is still carried out by unscrupulous owners.
An American bully XL with cropped ears. The practice is illegal in England and Wales, but it is still carried out by unscrupulous owners. Photograph: Wirestock/Alamy

On 23 May last year, 65-year-old Keven Jones went to his son’s house in Wrexham, north Wales, to help take care of his dogs while he was away at a football match.

His daughter-in-law, who was upstairs getting ready to go out, suddenly heard Jones shout: “He’s got me!” She rushed downstairs to find him lying in a pool of blood. One of the dogs, Cookie, a two-year-old American bully XL, had bitten him on the leg. Jones later died from blood loss, while Cookie was put down by a vet.

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