'My XL Bully is a gentle soul; he's a part of the family'

Tang, a two-year-old XL Bully,  lives in Enniskillen with his adoring owner, Naomi Williamson-Owens; her partner, Wes; and their one-year-old daughter, Sophia.

He enjoys long walks, lazing on the couch and "belly rubs", and according to Naomi, has "never so much as growled aggressively at another dog or human".

But despite this “placid” personality, as an XL Bully breed, Tang is impacted by new legislation which means he must be muzzled and kept on a lead at all times in public.

New measures are being introduced in Northern Ireland after the XL Bully breed was linked to a string of serious and sometimes fatal attacks.

"It breaks my heart, having to muzzle him up,” Naomi explained.

“Before the ban, Tang loved to run free with his friends out in the open. We can't do that now because he has to be on a lead and muzzled at all times. It has knocked his confidence.

"As a responsible owner, I put in two years of work to allow my dog that freedom. That has just been taken away from us. It's a kick in the teeth."

Naomi Williamson-Owens, with her XL Bully, Tang. (Image: John McVitty.)

Having owned Tang since he was ten weeks old, Naomi says she has invested countless hours of training, attention and love that have “made him the dog he is today”.

This work, she feels, has moulded Tang into the "perfect family companion", and she even trusts him around one-year-old Sophia.

"I’ll happily trust my dog around my baby," she revealed. "But, of course, as a responsible owner, I would never leave my baby unattended with the dog around my child.

“It's not that I don't trust the dog; it’s more that I don’t trust my child.

"She [Sophia] is only one, and I don't want her to be pulling at him or annoying him.

“I have no doubt he would tolerate it, but again, I’m a responsible owner, and it’s my job as a parent to teach my child to respect my dog’s boundaries.”

Naomi continued:  "He does have the most amazing bond with our daughter. I could speak for hours on end about how much love he has shown our daughter in such a short space of time."

But despite Tang's "loving" personality, Naomi admits that walking a muzzled XL Bully in public has resulted in mixed reactions.

“Some will come over and say how beautiful he is, while others will cross the side of the road to get away from him,” she explained.

"We have also taken a significant amount of abuse from people who have called us all sorts of names, from 'drug dealers' to 'gang criminals'.

"I do feel that a large part of negative reactions are from the media and how they are portraying the breed. There has been a lot of bad press, and people are quick to jump to conclusions."

'My XL Bully is a beautiful, gentle soul'. (Image: John McVitty.)

Despite these mixed reactions, Naomi said she is determined to break down negative stereotypes surrounding the XL Bully breed.

"My partner and I don't like to go with the flow, and in this sense, an XL Bully suits us perfectly," she said.

"We saw for years how the breed was becoming associated with undesirable owners. We wanted to dispel that stigma.

"We wanted to show that when these dogs are brought up in a loving environment, they can become excellent family companions. The way Tang has turned out is a testament to that.

"Raising a dog properly, regardless of breed, takes a lot of time, effort and commitment.

"We knew what we were getting into from the word go, and we spent months researching to make sure our lifestyle was the right fit for him.”

Naomi added that she was "disheartened" to learn of new legislation regarding the breed, which was announced by Environment Minister, Andrew Muir, in March.

"There was a lot of conflicting information that the ban wasn't coming to Northern Ireland," she said. "No-one knew the answer, not even politicians.

"Then, out of the blue, we were told that the ban was coming in on ‘X’ date.

"We were essentially given 18 days before our dog's freedom was taken away. That wasn't even enough time to get a proper muzzle to fit my dog.

“I do feel that the ban in Northern Ireland was a knee-jerk reaction to what was happening in England.”

Naomi also feels that the legislation will place financial hardship on owners.

"The ban comes into force at the mouth of Christmas, and owners will be expected to pay to have their dog neutered, pay £92 for an exemption certificate, and attain third-party insurance.

"The whole thing could cost almost £500 during a cost of living crisis.”

Legislation also states that owners who don’t want to keep their XL Bully must have them euthanised at a vet, with financial support available for this.

"The sad part is, the Government are offering compensation to people to give up their dogs, but no help with the other costs,” Naomi added.

 “They would rather see innocent dogs, who have never put a paw wrong, put down, than help owners keep their dogs. This is the sad reality.”