AMERICAN XL Bully dogs have been labelled dangerous killers, but one owner has turned hers into Instagram sensations and even gives them makeovers.
Brit Lily Feltham, who lives in Marbella, insists her dogs, banned in the UK from today, make wonderful pets – despite a wave of horror attacks by the breed this year.
lilzbullzmarbella/instagramLily with XL Bully Rolex who weighs 11 stone[/caption]
She claims they are so mellow that her dogs – 11 stone Rolex, Cartel and Kay – allow her to paint them to look like leopards, tigers and cheetahs.
Lily, 31, says: “I’ve even taken them to my friend’s salon to paint their nails and pretend to do their eyelashes.”
Having been trapped in an abusive relationship for several years, Lily says she bought her dogs to make her feel secure when they split.
“I was told every day that nobody would want me, that I was fat, ugly, full of stretch marks and would never be anything except council scum,” she explains.
“I was abused both physically and emotionally, so when we broke up I was worried that he might try to come to my new house or something.
“I had a panic alarm, couldn’t sleep and was worried all the time.
“I bought my first XL Bully called Kay and, while I knew she’d never bite anyone, she looked the part.
“Just having her in the house at night made me feel safe, and I had to go out walking her, so it built up my confidence.
Lily says her dogs made her feel safe after a relationship went badinstagram/lilzbullzmarbella
lilzbullzmarbella/instagramRolex, pictured with one of his pups[/caption]
£5,000 stud
Mum-of-one Lily controversially uses chalk paint to transform her dogs into wild animals on Instagram – but some people think they are real cross breeds.
Lily says: “I’ve had people message to say, ‘How dare you breed a dog with a leopard or tiger,’ because they don’t realise it’s just a bit of fun.
“I mainly use chalk mixed with water to paint them and they absolutely love it. It washes off easily and doesn’t do them any harm.”
In the UK, XL Bullys face strict regulations from December 31 following a spate of attacks which have left 12 Brits dead in the past three years.
New laws prohibiting the breed were formally laid in Parliament in October under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
Breeding, selling, advertising, rehoming, abandoning and allowing an XL to stray will be illegal, and dogs will have to be kept on a lead and muzzled in public.
From February it will be illegal to own one if it’s not on a register of exempted dogs.
Lily claims the dogs are the victim of bad owners, adding: “These dogs are big and powerful but I’ve not come across a single aggressive one.
“It’s the fault of owners who use them as status symbols instead of training and looking after them properly.
“A chihuahua can bite if it’s not raised properly, but the problem is Bullies can cause a lot of damage.”
She believes the new government rules will be difficult to enforce and says Britain should have followed the lead of Spain, where owners must have special licences and a clean criminal record.
lilzbullzmarbella/instagramLily says she fell in love with XL Bully dogs[/caption]
“What I’m hearing about these attacks at home are just horrendous,” Lily admits.
“There aren’t half as many in Spain because they have stricter rules around what are considered dangerous dogs.
“You need a licence for most large breeds and you can’t own one if you have a violent criminal past.
“The rules are properly enforced, too. If I was to walk Rolex into town the police would often pull us over to check we have the proper paperwork, but I have a lot of land around my farm house now so I tend to exercise the dogs here.”
Lily admits her dogs can sometimes scare locals, adding: “The Spanish are quite scared of dogs in general and there’s not as much ownership as in the UK.
“People’s reactions to my dogs are varied. Some cross the road to avoid them, while others come out of bars to ask to stroke them.
“We get a lot of stares, especially when they are painted as wild creatures.”
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