The 10 year old lad who got killed in Caerphilly a few months back was also killed by a newly acquired American Bully XL.
The dog was called Beast, and had been passed on by the previous owner (breeder) a few weeks before, as the breeder couldn't keep it due to aggression to his other dogs. I live about a mile away, and know more than I need to about that one...
Charges have been brought in that case.
I think it's a really difficult one, and I honestly wouldn't even claim to know what the answer is.
When it comes to breeds like the American Bully XL, I think I'm in the camp that believes that if you take a puppy, socialise properly from a very young age - by a
responsible owner who knows and cares about what they're doing, it's likely to be (despite its looks) a perfectly decent dog for life.
But I think in reality many of these breeds (pitbull / bully) attract a certain type of owner, who wants to either "feel tough" or have the dog as some sort of status enhancer, or in extreme cases - maybe even weaponise the dog. You only have to scroll through a few videos on youtube, where people are training American Bully XLs to bite and attack. It's not like these people are breeding dogs for pets and companions, they're breeding highly dangerous dogs, which are desirable to people who want something that's highly dangerous.
As a result, we might always see a disproportionate amount of attacks being attributed to these breeds, simply because they attract an owner who is less likely to give a ****.
I also think social media probably plays a part, people see these great big hulking dogs snuggling up with babies and such like, yet they don't see the training and time that went into creating that situation for years in the background. They just see the end product on Instagram and think "I want that, lets go and get it now" then collect an adult dog, of unknown history - being given away because it's a nightmare.. (maybe I'm making a bit of a straw man here, but some of these cases feel like this is what's happened)
I'm a dog lover, and at some point I'd love a Bullmastiff. However - I've spent about 2-3 years researching the breed, spent time with the breed and some owners, and I'm not doing it until I'm in a suitable period in my life, where I have the perfect environment, and plenty of time available to dedicate the first year to socialisation and training.. I just feel that the sort of people who get a big dog on a whim, wouldn't think like this.