LETHAL dogs that have killed dozens of Brits are being bought and sold on Snapchat and Instagram.
It takes just a single direct message on either of the two apps to send cash to a breeder and get your hands on an American Bully XL.
Some breeders of the canines – which are not illegal – entice prospective buyers with slick ads set to gangster rap.
Others show balaclava-donning handlers with often crop-eared beasts frothing at the mouth and straining on metal chains.
Breeders tell potential customers pups are ‘ready to go’ and to ‘hmu’ (hit me up) before revealing puppy prices into their thousands.
The Sun found Snapchat and Instagram awash with breeders flogging American Bully XLs, whose popularity has soared in recent years.
But rising demand among owners who want a “tough” looking animal has run parallel with a spike in fatal attacks by the breed.
As a result, the canine – which can weigh up to 70kg – is now at the centre of an attack epidemic that has killed ten Brits in the last 12-months.
The youngest victim was Bella Rae-Birch, just 17-months when a family dog – bought a week before the attack – savaged her to death.
An inquest into the tot’s killing at home in St Helens, Merseyside, heard how “even an adult wouldn’t have stood a chance against” the hound.
Other victims of the breed, including Ian Symes, 34, had their throats bitten and vital organs torn into during attacks.
Dog-walker Ian died at a rec in Fareham, Hampshire, after the savage attack on August 10 last year by a 52kg dog bought from travellers on Snapchat.
But the attacks have kept coming.
Mum-of-two Joanne Robinson, 43, was savaged to death by her Bully XL Rocco after he “turned mad and snapped”, pinning her throat to the floor with his jaws last July.
While Shirley Patrick, 83, died 17 days after sustaining “traumatic lacerations” and “significant injuries” to her head, body, face and arms in a mauling by a Bully XL.
The tragedy happened just half a mile from a house where 10-year-old schoolboy Jack Lis was killed by another dog in November 2021.
The 10-year-old was killed by an eight-stone dog nicknamed “Beast”.
The American Bully XL is not an illegal dog like a Pitbull and is therefore not subject to any prohibitions under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.
But despite a wave of fatal attacks from the breed, efforts to ban the breed have failed, with petitions not reaching the required number of signatures.
The RSPCA told The Sun they cannot single out particular breeds for aggression and said behaviours are down to the individual dog.
They added: “Aggression is an outward emotional expression used to communicate various intentions.
“Aggression is one of many behaviours dogs use to help them cope.
“We label ‘aggression’ when the dog changes from moving away or showing unhappiness to actively responding.”
Meanwhile Canine behaviourist Will Atherton told The Sun there are no quick fixes but that the key is making sure people only get dogs they are confident they can handle.
He says: “The problem is wrong hands, wrong training and wrong lifestyle.
“If you’re getting a big dog like an American bully, what is your rationale? Do you want to be intimidating or look cool? Because that’s not a good reason.”
The RSPCA is also urging research into the mental and physical well-being of dogs responsible for attacks, instead of putting them down immediately.
Dr Gaines said: “We need to understand why a dog attacks — and that means treating it like a suspect.
“Why did it act as it did? Was it mismanagement, abuse, breeding or health issues?
“Only with greater understanding can we really work to stop these sort of harrowing, horrendous attacks occurring with such frequency.”
