XL Bully dogs to be banned by end of the year after huge surge in deadly attacks
XL Bullys will be added to a list of banned dogs under the Dangerous Dog Act from the end of this year, the Government has confirmed
PA
XL Bullys will be added to a list of banned dogs under the Dangerous Dog Act from the end of this year, the Government has confirmed.
The ban comes after a spate of deadly attacks involving the breed since the beginning of the year.
From 31 December, it will be illegal to breed, sell, advertise, exchange, gift, rehome, abandon or allow XL Bully dogs to stray in England and Wales.
The breed must also be kept on a lead and muzzled in public from this same date.
Campaigners took to the streets of London to protest an XL bully ban
Loredana Sangiuliano/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
From 1, February 2024 it will be a criminal offence to own one unless owners have successfully applied for it to be exempt.
Rishi Sunak declared the breed a "danger to communities" following the death of a man in a "suspected" attack by two of the dogs in Stonnall, Staffordshire.
Other attacks included the death of a man after a suspected attack by an American bully XL in Walsall on 14 September while days earlier, an 11-year-old girl, along with two men, were attacked by an American bully XL in Bordesley Green, Birmingham.
Last week, an XL Bully dog mauled a man on a mobility scooter in another vicious attack in Birchwood.
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A dog reportedly approached the man’s dog and later pounced on it.
The man was bitten while trying to intervene to save his pooch.
PC Victoria Taylor said: “I understand this may cause concern in the community and we are working hard to try and locate the dog and its owner.
"Witnesses also said there were some school children filming the incident.
“I’d urge anyone with footage of the attack to contact me.”
The new guidance is similar to that issued for the four breeds which were banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991: the American pit bull terrier, the Japanese tosa, the Dogo Argentinos and the Fila Brazileiro.
Environment Secretary Therese Coffey said ministers had taken “quick and decisive action to protect the public from tragic dog attacks”.
She added: “We will continue to work closely with the police, canine and veterinary experts, and animal welfare groups, as we take forward these important measures.”