A canine expert warned of the dangers of the dog breed (Image: Getty)
A behavioural specialist has issued a worrying warning amid the rise in popularity of a “dangerous” breed in the UK that potentially poses an even greater threat than the notorious
While there are currently a number of restrictions placed on the XL bully ownership in the UK, there has reportedly been a surge of intrest from pet owners in the Cane Corso, an mastiff breed.
Rumoured to be ancestors of the Molossian war dogs of ancient Rome, the growing number of the breed in the UK has been of particular concern for dog behavioural experts in recent months, with fears that they could pose a threat to the public.
Rob Alleyne, who operates the Canine Instructor Academy in Suffolk, didn’t hold back in his summisiation of the breed: “The Cane Corso is like an XL bully on steroids. It’s a killing machine and they’ve become much more popular now.
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Cane Corso’s originally come from Italy (Image: Getty)
“[The ban] has just pushed people towards an even worse dog that doesn’t need to be registered and God help us if they become too popular,” he told the Times.
The canine behavioural expert has said that he has seen a growing number of the breed arrive at his premises in recent times and he believes that it is “history repeating itself”.
He said: “We saw it happen with the Pit Bull Terrier. When they banned the Pit Bull Terrier, what did we get? We got a dog far more dangerous than the Pit Bull Terrier. They just made a new one worse than the preceding one: the XL bully.”
Mr Alleyne’s warning comes after a woman in her thirties required plastic surgery after she attempted to seperate her XL bully and Cane Corso from fighting whilst at home, the Independent reported in October.
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At the time of writing, there are currently 220 Cane Corso puppies up for sale on the Pets4Homes website, with prices ranging from £380 to £2,000.
The expert said that the number of Cane Corsos have reportedly been growing as a result of the measures brought in against XL bullies.
Since the beginning of February last year, it has been illegal for anyone to own an XL bully in the UK unless they have an exemption certificate.
This enables owners to keep their dogs under the promise that they are housed securely, and kept on a lead and muzzled in public.