Don’t Bully My Breed: The Sheffielders battling to save their ‘dangerous’ dogs

Good morning members — and welcome to today’s Tribune.

Britain is famously a nation of dog lovers. But XL Bullys are currently testing that theory. A spate of attacks by the much-maligned dogs, several of them fatal, has prompted the government to legislate to ban the breed. But not everyone is keen to see the back of them. Last Saturday, a protest took place in Sheffield city centre which called on the government to think again about the ban. I went along to meet the people trying to save XL Bullys, and a few days later met one myself.

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🚌 Further cuts to bus services in South Yorkshire mean some areas will now only have one bus every two hours. Weekend and evening services will be worst hit, while kids’ fares will increase from 80p to £1. First Bus said the changes would “improve punctuality and reliability” but the cuts were widely criticised, including by South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard who said they left us nowhere near the London-style public transport system that was promised.

🏥 A really interesting interview in the New Statesman with Sheffield City Council’s Greg Fell, who is now the leading public health director in England. Fell led Sheffield through two years of Covid, but the focus of his attention has now turned back to non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, which are actually far bigger killers. Our piece from 2022 about Greg Fell’s two years on the Covid front line can be read here.

🖼️ Tributes have been paid to Sheffield music promoter and artist Martin Bedford, who died on Tuesday. Bedford was one of the driving forces behind the early days of The Leadmill, and also created instantly recognisable gig posters for countless bands over four decades. One of the many paying tribute was Reverend and The Makers’ lead singer Jon McClure. “My heart is broken,” he posted on Twitter. “Martin was a lovely guy. Right character and a talented illustrator too.”

Things to do

🎇 On from Friday, 3 November to Sunday, 5 November is Illuminate the Gardens, Sheffield Botanical Gardens’ annual fireworks and light show extravaganza. For this year’s myths and legends theme, there will be 10 light installations in the gardens, along with a mesmerising laser show from the glass pavilions. There will also be two fireworks displays (including one “low bang” show) each night. Tickets are priced £18 for adults (16+) and £12.50 for children.

🎭 On at the Crucible Theatre for one night only on Saturday, 4 November, Never Look Back is a historical fictional retelling of the real-life Kings African Rifles (KAR), a regiment made up of soldiers from East and Southern African Commonwealth nations that fought on behalf of Great Britain in WWII. Following the performance there will be a Q&A and feedback session with the creative team and cast. Tickets are priced from £5-£10 and doors open at 7pm.

🖼️  Frank & Joy (aka The Snog) is arguably Sheffield artist Pete McKee’s most beloved painting. The huge mural has adorned the wall at Fagan’s on Broad Lane for the last 10 years, and now Frank & Joy: A love story, a new exhibition about the two characters is due to start at Trafalgar Warehouse this weekend. The exhibition (which runs from 4-19 November) is immersive and includes performance so booking is essential, although weekends are now sold out.

Don’t Bully My Breed: The Sheffielders battling to save their ‘dangerous’ dogs

The Million Man March it is not. As I walk up Division Street, a small huddle of people on Devonshire Green catches my eye. Wrapped up warm against the autumnal chill, they’re here to protest about new proposals that would see XL Bully dogs banned. I’d just passed hundreds of people demonstrating about the war in Gaza outside Sheffield City Hall. When I reach the XL Bully demo I do a quick headcount. It doesn’t take me long to get to 13.

XL Bullys have been in the UK for around a decade, but only in the last few years have they regularly made national headlines, and not in a good way. A series of attacks, some of them fatal, led to calls for a ban. In 2021, 10-year-old Jack Lis from Caerphilly in South Wales was mauled to death by a XL Bully named Beast. After a man in Stonnall, near Birmingham, was killed by two XL Bullys this September, the government decided to act.

Announcing his government’s intention to ban the dogs in the wake of the tragedy in Stonnall, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the attacks could not be allowed to continue. “The American XL bully dog is a danger to our communities, particularly our children,” he said. “It is clear this is not about a handful of badly trained dogs, it’s a pattern of behaviour and it cannot go on.” If the ban is passed by parliament later this month, it would make XL Bullys the fifth proscribed breed in the UK under the Dangerous Dogs Act of 1991.

While there might not be many protestors railing at this turn of events at the Sheffield demo, they are well organised and passionate. Most have got banners, laminated or wrapped in plastic to protect them from the rain. “My breed today, your breed next. Save our Bullies,” reads one. “Stop killing innocent dogs,” reads another. As I approach, I tentatively explain that I’m a journalist and am hoping to write a piece about the protest. “As long as it’s nice,” one of them shoots back.