An overwhelming majority of Britons want the “killer” American XL Bully breed banned, new polling has found.
YouGov polling exclusively seen by GB News shows that the public overwhelmingly supports a ban on the dangerous breed, with 57 per cent in favour and only 17 per cent against.
Moreover, a majority of voters for every major party want a ban on the breed, with the largest majority being the Conservatives at 69 per cent.
Both leavers and remainers support a ban, according to YouGov’s findings, with Leavers supporting the most at 67 per cent and remainers at 55 per cent.
A majority of voters for every major party want a ban on the breed, with the largest majority being the Conservatives at 69 per cent
Wiki Commons images/ Colbyallenswecker
Dog owners favour a ban 2:1. There is also a near 90 per cent majority for wanting owners to be criminally liable if their dog attacks a person or pet.
Additionally, one in five Brits claim to have felt threatened (either themselves or a family member) by a dog in the last year.
Academic and YouTuber Lawrence Newport, who commissioned the poll, told GB News: “This poll shows that Brits from every walk of life want these dangerous killer dogs banned. Leavers, Remainers, Conservatives, Labour voters, even a majority of dog owners want the government to act.
"No more dogs need to be ripped apart, no more adults attacked and no more children killed.“
"The Environment Secretary can change this today and stop these deaths immediately. How many more people and pets need to die before they act?”
The poll comes after government ministers said there were “no plans” to add the American Bully XL breed to the list of banned dogs.
Responding to a written question last Thursday, Environment Minister Lord Benyon said: “We are working in partnership with the police, local authorities and animal welfare organisations to ensure that the full range of existing dog control powers are effectively applied, encourage responsible dog ownership and reduce the risk of dog attacks.
"We currently have no plans to add additional breed types to the banned breed list.”
The YouGov poll comes amid a 50 per cent increase in hospital admissions for dog bites over 10 years, with the biggest rise being attributed to children under four.
Annual reported dog attacks have shot up from 16,000 in 2018 to 22,000 in 2022.
Awareness group Bully Watch has compiled data for reported dog attacks in Britain in 2023. It claims that 45% of all attacks this year have been conducted by a Bully XL or Bully-mixed breed.
The site provides an online tracker for notable Bully XL attacks, which include the deaths of both pets and people.
Since 2021, it said that there have been 11 confirmed and 3 suspected human deaths caused by the Bully XL breed.
Bradley Davis, the managing director of Doggy Armour, a company that makes coats for dogs that protect them from bite attacks, told GB News: “Over the past few years there has been an increase in dog on dog attacks, more often than not larger breeds attacking smaller dogs.
"These larger breeds, such as the XL Bully, are often not properly trained and are simply bought as a status symbol or as a means of intimidation.”
He added: “There needs to be more regulations on purchasing these large breeds to ensure they are suitable for the person who is purchasing them and some form of training before they can keep such a breed of dog.
"All dogs have the potential to harm a person or another animal so something needs to be put in place to ensure responsible dog ownership.”
