Rhiannon Ingle
The owner of the ‘Killer Kimbo’ dog which half of UK’s XL Bullies descend from has finally spoken out.
Kimbo was bred by Los Angeles-based breeder, Gustavo Castro, and is reportedly born from a brother-sister pairing, with his grandparents sharing the same father.
According to BullyWatch, Kimbo was purposely inbred to create a larger, more muscular frame.
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Descendants of Kimbo have since been said to be responsible for several violent incidents across the globe.
The large breed has been topic of conversation of late after an 11-year-old girl was mauled by a dog in Birmingham last week (9 September), and again on Friday (15 September) after a a man was fatally attacked by two dogs in Staffordshire.
Expressing her concerns, scientist and campaigner for BullyWatch, Gloria Zsigmond, said: "Kimbo's offspring became very, very popular and they're still so popular in the UK to this day."
Zsigmond went on the label it as 'extremely troubling'.
Now, following hours upon hours of research, Zsigmond has discovered that 32 of 50 breeding dogs here were related to Kimbo.
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The information was generated by using family trees uploaded by breeders.
"A lot of the time, the Bully breeders are trying to hide how inbred the dogs are," she told The Telegraph.
"Kimbo bled into all those bloodlines because he was early on and he was so dominant in breeding. There are some good bloodlines where Kimbo isn't there, but there are many where he is."
Despite BullyWatch's findings, the group has urged people not to 'label every descendant of Kimbo as defective'.
"That’s not the case," its website reads.
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"It’s obvious that the number of generations removed will significantly influence the outcome. The crucial message is the undeniable relevance of genetics. This understanding is vital if we are to engage in a reasoned discourse on why a large number of XL types are displaying unexpected and sudden aggressive behaviour in the UK."
Since then, Castro has declared that his dog Kimbo was a 'gentle giant', telling The Sun: "Kimbo’s offspring are all over the world now and it’s getting really big to have a big dog.
"Some people when they get my dogs they start injecting them with steroids and other stuff that they’re not supposed to, to get them big."
Castro went on to say that 'all that stuff' subsequently gives the pups 'side effects'.
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He continued: "You’re not going to get a normal dog, the dog’s going to be different.
"My dogs are naturally big. Puppies take more from the mother’s genes anyway. If the mothers are aggressive it isn’t necessarily Kimbo’s fault."
The dog owner stated that he hadn't had 'any problems' with Kimbo's offspring either, adding: "I’ve currently got a Kimbo grandson and great-grandson, so it’s direct, and my dogs are perfectly fine.
"These descendants have other blood that we don’t even know about."
He concluded: "Kimbo has between 500 and 600 offspring all over the US and the world."
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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Friday (15 September) that the American XL bully dog will be banned by the end of the year, following the series of attacks this month.
In an announcement video posted on social media, Sunak said: "The American XL Bully Dog is a danger to our communities, particularly our children.
"I share the nation's horror at the recent videos we've all seen. Yesterday we saw another suspected XL Bully Dog attack, which has tragically led to a fatality."
He went on: "It's clear this is not about a handful of badly trained dogs. It's a pattern of behaviour and it cannot go on.
"While owners already have a responsibility to keep their dogs under control, I want to reassure people that we are urgently working on ways to stop these attacks and protect the public."
Sunak informed the British public he would 'ban the breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act' by the 'end of the year'.
"These dogs are dangerous," he concluded. "I want to reassure the public that we will take all necessary steps to keep people safe."
Castro has said he's opposed to such a ban, explaining: "Kimbo grew up with my six daughters and they would kiss and hug him.
"They had a really good bond with him. He was a gentle giant and he didn’t bite anyone."