XL Bully

The American Bully is a modern breed of dog that was developed as a companion dog, and originally standardized and recognized as a breed in 2004 by the American Bully Kennel Club (ABKC). Their published breed standard describes the dog as giving the "impression of great strength for its size".

The majority of major international kennel clubs do not recognize the American Bully as a separate breed, including the UK Kennel Club, the American Kennel Club, and the International Canine Federation (an international federation of national kennel clubs and purebred registries) . In 2008, the American Bully was recognized by the European Bully Kennel Club (EBKC), and on July 15, 2013, by the United Kennel Club (UKC).

Temperament in adult dogs is highly dependent on training, and the breed can be very demanding and needs to be properly trained. Due to the size, strength, and aggression level of the American Bully, legal controls on the ownership of the breed exist in several countries.

Appearance

The United Kennel Club (UKC) and American Bully Kennel Club (ABKC) breed standards are similar, except the ABKC recognises four varieties of size, based on height (the ''Standard'', ''Pocket'', ''XL'', and ''Classic)'', whereas the UKC recognises only one standard size.

All dogs are classified and shown as ''Standard'' until they reach a year of age, at which point they are separated into the varieties and shown against their own type.

Standard

The standard American Bully type is a medium-sized dog with a compact bulky muscular body, heavy bone structure and blocky head. Male dogs must be , while females must be at the withers.

Pocket

The "pocket" type is a smaller variant, with full-grown males , and females , at the withers.

XL

An "XL" type is determined by its adult height, with males , and females , at the withers.

Classic

The ''classic'' is a lighter-framed dog than the ''standard'', but falls within the same height range. These dogs do not display the exaggerated features often found in the other varieties, and arguably display clearer American Pit Bull Terrier/ American Staffordshire Terrier lineage.

Non-standard sizes

Outside of the breed standard, dogs shorter or taller than the named variations have been bred. Smaller dogs are sometimes called "Micro", and larger ones are called "XXL", but neither are recognized by the kennel clubs as legitimate varieties.

Temperament

The American Bully is a highly adaptable and trainable breed. Many dogs, despite acting as lapdogs in the home, do well in sports such as weight pull and flirt pole. Human aggression is discouraged in breed standards. Breeders have acknowledged that American Bully dogs can be very dangerous if improperly raised or bred.

Health

Health problems vary within the breed and span the entire spectrum, with some varieties being plagued by problems, and others being well-documented for health and quality. Testing is not as commonplace in the breed as in older breeds, though hip and elbow scoring are the most frequently conducted. Cherry eye, ectropion, and entropion are often seen affecting the eyes, while brachycephalic respiratory syndrome can be seen in the shorter muzzled dogs.

There are genetic defects associated with merle coloring of coats which include increased rates of deafness and blindness. The United Kennel Club breed standard for the American Bully lists merle coat coloring and blue eyes as disqualifying characteristics. The American Bully Kennel Club previously listed merle coat colour as a disqualifying characteristic but recent breed standards have removed this disqualification.

The average life span is 8–13 years.

History

The American Bully, as it is now known, began development in the 1980s with the majority of the final behavioral and aesthetic product being completed in the 1990s. The breed was first recognized by its breed club, the American Bully Kennel Club (ABKC), in 2004. This registry first acted as a means to document pedigrees and show the breed against its written standard. According to the ABKC, the initial desire for this breed was to produce a dog with a lower prey drive and more of the "bully" traits and characteristics than the American Staffordshire Terrier. Mass and heavy bone was prioritized to ensure such a look, and due to this many of the dogs shown today display the wide front for which they were originally bred.

There is consensus that at least five other breeds were used to attain the desired as well as the more diminutive size of some lines. The American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) was the foundation (parent breed) used to create the American Bully. The APBT has maintained a characteristic appearance and temperament for over a century, with different strains of APBT emerging within the breed, each with different physical attributes. One particular APBT strain was crossbred to create a stockier physique that breeders originally misrepresented as purebred APBTs. Eventually, enough breeders agreed that these dogs were disparate enough from APBTs that they should be called a different breed altogether. The bloodline of these mixed breeds was further influenced with openly-acknowledged breeding with the American Bulldog, English Bulldog, and Olde English Bulldogge in order to fine-tune desired physical characteristics and personality traits.

The American Bully is bred to be a companion dog and should not be confused with the several other bulldog-type breeds. The breed's development and popularity are commonly tied to the growth of hip-hop culture.

Breed-specific legislation

Germany

Germany has passed a law on dangerous dogs (the ) in 2001. It prohibits the import or transfer of certain dogs and includes the following breeds: American Staffordshire Terrier, Bull Terrier, Pit Bull Terrier and Staffordshire Bull Terrier, as well as crossbreeds and mixed-breeds of these dogs.

On February 9, 2023, the Rhineland-Palatinate Higher Administrative Court ruled that the classification of a dog whose father was an American Bully as a dangerous dog is permissible under the state law on dangerous dogs.

Within the span of a year, 2 people were killed by American Bullies, both family pets. Statistically, Germany has about 3 fatal dog attacks per year.

Ireland

In Ireland, the American Bully is restricted as a ' Bandog'. It must be muzzled and on a lead no longer than when in public, amongst other requirements.

On July 12, 2024, Minister for Community Development, Heather Humphreys announced plans to introduce a two stage ban beginning on October 1, 2024. Phase 1 will be a ban on the breeding, rehoming, reselling and importing. Phase 2 will limit ownership to dogs that have been licensed, microchipped and neutered.

Turkey

In Turkey, it is illegal to own or breed an American Bully.

United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates "prohibits the possession and circulation of the American Bully for individuals and commercial establishments."

United Kingdom

XL Bully dogs were responsible for more than 50% (10 of the 19) dog-related human deaths caused by dogs in the UK in the period between 2021 and 2023. In January 2024, the UK Government added XL Bully dogs to the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, making it illegal to sell, breed, or abandon Bully XL or to have one in public without a lead and muzzle. It became illegal to possess a XL Bully dog without a valid certificate of exemption, public liability insurance, microchipping the dog, neutering the dog, notification of permanent changes in home address, and secure conditions to prevent escape of the dog. A conformation standard was developed to aid enforcement officers in identifying XL Bully dogs by appearance and size.

American bullies first arrived in the United Kingdom in 2014 or 2015, and increased in popularity during the COVID lockdown of 2020–2021. Because the breed is not a registered breed with the UK Kennel Club, it is unknown how many dogs or breeders there are in the UK. Prior to the ban, the government estimated there were 10,000 XL Bully dogs in the UK, but by December 2024 there were 59,500 XL Bully dogs registered with the government (57,000 in England and Wales and 2,500 in Scotland), around 4,500 suspected banned dogs seized, and 800 dogs destroyed. Areas of Liverpool, Birmingham, Cheshire, Doncaster, and Sheffield had the highest rates of XL Bully dog exemption registration per capita.

See also

* American Staffordshire Terrier
* Boxer
* Bull-type terriers
* Bulldog type
* Cephalic index
* Pit bull

References

External links

American Bully Kennel Club


European Bully Kennel Club

United Kennel Club – American Bully Standard

American Bully Association

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Dog breeds originating in the United States
Companion dogs