Rise of the Exotic Bully: How pet owners are dodging exemptions by breeding nano, micro or pocket versions of banned dog - but experts warn extreme interbreeding of the XL bully's smaller sibling is cruel and could still pose a 'risk to the public'

Pet owners who agelong for an XL Bully are dodging exemption requirements by buying a nano, micro oregon pouch mentation of the banned dog, experts claim.

The past twelvemonth has seen respective horrific attacks by XL Bully dogs, including connected 68-year-old grandma Esther Martin who was mauled to decease successful February by 2 of her son-in-law's allegedly unregistered dogs.

Last September, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak decided to prohibition the canine - meaning owners person to registry them and use for an exemption.

But owners who whitethorn effort to debar the hassle of this process are uncovering a loophole by buying nano, micro and pouch versions of the dog.

They assertion this tiny breed - which grows to 22-27cm successful tallness - is not assertive and the lone occupation owners accidental they person is the dogs chewing their skirting boards.

However, experts person warned that the utmost levels of inbreeding that occurs to make the bite-sized dogs is problematic and they tin inactive beryllium a 'risk to the public'.

There are presently lone a fewer 100 genuine Exotic Bully dogs (which is the overarching term) successful the UK, according to The Independent.

Exotics are bred to beryllium highly musculature and beardown - similar their XL Bully counterparts - but fractional the tallness and the aggression is meant to beryllium bred out.

The archetypal canine of this benignant to beryllium bred was a small and squat grey canine called Mr Miagi successful 2008, successful the United States.

The volition down breeding these minuscule dogs is to support their almighty quality but marque them much docile and gentle with different dogs and children.

According to BRC Global Pedigrees - which registers pets to instrumentality portion successful competitions - Exotics are precise seldom aggressive. 

They came astir by breeding American Bullys with dogs specified arsenic French Bulldogs, English Bulldogs, and American Staffordshire Terriers.

While determination are respective types of Bully dogs which are recognised breeds, galore - specified arsenic the Exotic - are not.

And portion owners and breeders assertion the dogs person a saccharine temperament, they person travel nether occurrence for 'unethical' breeding practices.

This is due to the fact that determination are galore hereditary wellness problems successful these dogs which spell connected to impact their offspring and shorten the breed's lifespan and little their prime of life. 

Many Exotic bully types person large wellness issues owed to the utmost downsizing, particularly orthopaedic conditions.

Due to their value being retired of proportionality with their tiny bodies, this causes aggravated unit connected their joints starring to backmost symptom and nonaccomplishment of mobility aboriginal on.

Vet Nick Horniman told MailOnline: “Exotic bully breeds, including pouch bully variants, person started to captivate galore favored owners owed to their compact size. 

'In the erstwhile year, I've observed a rising popularity of these breeds implicit their larger counterparts. 

'This emergence successful popularity could beryllium owed to owners who unrecorded successful smaller surviving spaces with strict landlord policies, oregon societal biases against larger bully breeds owed to the caller attacks. I would not beryllium amazed if the request for these smaller variants kept connected expanding arsenic radical question retired bully-type dogs but privation ones that acceptable their surviving situations.'

He added that bully breeds tin beryllium 'well-tempered' pets with 'responsible breeding and due care'.

But helium warned: 'The compact size of pouch bullies should not beryllium mistaken for a deficiency of strength, oregon a crushed to dainty them immoderate differently. Like immoderate dog, if not decently socialised and trained, they tin grounds undesirable behaviours. It is important for owners to perpetrate to thorough and ongoing socialisation, positive accordant grooming to guarantee their pouch bully is well-adjusted for gathering different dogs oregon people.

“The tendency to execute circumstantial carnal traits successful dogs, specified arsenic a smaller size, has led immoderate breeders to marque enactment choices that prioritise quality implicit the wellness of their dogs. This signifier tin pb to a higher incidence of familial disorders and wellness issues wrong the breed.'

Roz Pooley, an carnal behaviourist, told MailOnline that immoderate clip a breed is restricted by laws radical volition effort and get astir it by breeding a caller benignant of the banned dog.

He said: 'There volition beryllium plentifulness of canine owners who bash not privation to ain an exempt breed owed to not wishing to muzzle them, owed to not wishing to registry them arsenic exempt oregon wanting to debar neutering them excessively aboriginal (or astatine all) and to debar immoderate issues with lodging specified arsenic rented oregon assembly accommodation.

'The contented with 'exotic' breeds and types, which includes breeds that are not XL Bullies, is that determination whitethorn inbreeding to effort and execute the look.

'Inbreeding to execute an utmost look and the features associated with specified a look, specified arsenic a heavyset canine that is shortened successful tallness oregon adjacent an antithetic colour, tin effect successful wellness problems which tin impact a dog's behaviour, including the inclination for aggression.

'To execute these looks the temperament of a canine is seldom taken into consideration- starring to individuals being bred from that person unstable temperaments and traits that are apt to walk connected to offspring.

'The hazard of these behaviour problems and wellness issues are associated with each breeds but we person to admit that almighty dogs are apt to origin much superior injuries than little almighty dogs.

'So erstwhile we spot almighty dogs person wellness issues and undesirable temperament traits owed to mediocre breeding signifier past these dogs whitethorn airs a greater hazard to the wide public.'

He advised those looking astatine buying these breeds to debar choosing 'trendy, uncommon oregon utmost and exotic breeds'of dog.

But Dr Daisy May, who is simply a qualified vet, said she tin spot wherefore these 'pint-sized pups' are popular.

She added that their 'squished snout' tin perchance origin the dogs to acquisition breathing issues and immoderate proprietor needs to beryllium careful.

However she added that they whitethorn person 'inherited immoderate of the aforesaid tendencies' from their Bully lineage.

Traits specified arsenic 'potential canine aggression, stubborn streaks and strength' successful these dogs mean immoderate proprietor looking to bargain a pouch bully needs to recognize them and person acquisition with Bully breeds.

An RSPCA spokesperson said: 'Breed is not a reliable indicator of aggression successful dogs. All dogs person the capableness to beryllium aggressive. Aggression successful dogs develops due to the fact that of analyzable interactions betwixt genetics and the experiences dogs person passim their lives.'

The RSPCA added that their run Born to Suffer raises concerns astir however definite types of dogs are being bred successful an utmost mode to person exaggerated features and the resulting wellness issues of this.