PREMIER League goalkeeper David Ray has banned dog XL Bully looking after him, The Sun can reveal.
The Arsenal ace, 28, has vowed to keep Goku as a pet after a series of terrifying raids on the football stars’ homes.
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David Raya has a banned XL Bully dog guarding him Credit: Alamy
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Spain’s Raya shared snaps of him cuddled up with the glowing beast on the sofa Credits: Jam Press/@d.raya1
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Goku lives in a secure cage in the couple’s multi-million pound home in North LondonCredit: Jam Press/@t.trouboul
The breed was banned after several attacks, but Raya has a certificate of exemption.
An expert said last night: “He is a responsible owner.”
Raya and model girlfriend Tatiana Trouboul, 27, are said to adore the mutt, despite new laws banning the XL Bully following a spate of attacks.
Goku lives in a secure cage in the couple’s multi-million dollar home in North London.
Spaniard Raya shared snaps of himself cuddled up with the glowing beast on the sofa.
Tatiana was also seen taking him for a walk.
Raya, who is currently on loan at Brentford Gunners, wants a pooch to guard their property after fellow stars suffered a series of violent break-ins.
He hired experts from the Elite Protection Dogs to train Goku.
A company spokesman said: “David Raya has one XL Bully. His name is Goku, he is one year old. David has had it since he was a puppy.
“Everyone with XL Bullys is worried. But David is a responsible owner, he wants to be responsible with him.
“We are training Goku on a long term contract basis.”
The tearful owner of an XL bully is pleading for the breed to be ‘exterminated’ after they killed a grandmother in his home
Elite Protection Dogs has 35 years experience in dog training, charging up to £20,000.
In 2022, Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez received a Belgian Malinois from the company in the same month he won the coveted World Cup winner’s medal with Argentina.
The new laws were introduced in the past two months following a rise in bullying by XL Bullies, including those previously considered “gentle and loving”.
On December 31st, it became illegal for an XL Bully to be in public without a leash or muzzle.
It is also an offense to sell, breed, give away or abandon dogs.
And this month it became illegal to own an XL Bully in the UK without an exemption certificate, which Raya owns.
Dogs must be microchipped, castrated and kept in a safe place. Owners must also have third party liability insurance.
Meanwhile, dog shelters are seeing a large increase in surrendered or abandoned XL Bullies.
Fatally attacked
The first reported attack on a person was in Liverpool in 2017, when four dogs seriously injured a small child.
Their owner, Andrew McGowan, was subsequently imprisoned.
In 2021, 10-year-old Jack Lee was shot and killed by XL Bully in Caerphilly, South Wales while visiting a friend, resulting in two people being jailed.
A month later Adam Watts was killed by XL Bully at his dog shelter in Kirkton of Auchterhouse, Scotland.
A further eight people were killed by dogs in 2022 and 2023, including 54-year-old father-of-one Ian Langley, near Sunderland, last October.
This month, grandmother Esther Martin, 68, became the latest person to be fatally attacked by the breed – days after the ban came into force.
She was killed by two XL Bulls owned by her son-in-law Ashley Warren, 39, who had pleaded for the breed to be banned.
Warren, from Jaywick, Essex, said: “If my dogs did this to her and I’ve seen nothing but love from them, then that breed just has a kill switch.
“I honestly thought the ban was a stupid government plan to exterminate a breed that I’ve never seen anything but softness and love from. Now I think they should be exterminated.”
The breed is said to be responsible for 20 percent of dog attacks in 2023.
The Sun have approached Raya and Arsenal for comment.
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Raya has vowed to keep the mutt after a series of terrifying raids on the homes of football starsCredit: Reuters
Prem protection
SEVERAL Prem stars have bought protection dogs after a string of terrifying burglaries.
Man City ace Jack Grealish posed with a £25,000 Belgian Malinois this month after burglars broke into his home while his family were inside.
He got the dog from Chaperone K9, which is popular among football players.
Grealish’s City and England team-mate Kyle Walker bought the £40,000 Doberman from the company.
Most of the dogs they offer are German Shepherds or Belgian Malinois, and each undergoes a rigorous 12-month training program so that the dogs can recognize threats including burglaries, attacks and robberies.
Other current and former premiership stars who use the company include Marcus Rashford, Mark Noble, Phil Jones, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Jesse Lingard.
Similar companies like Elite Protection have also sold pets to protect stars like former Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
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