XL Bully ban marks one year since new law with more than 4,500 'illegal dogs' seized
XL Bully ban marks one year since new law with more than 4,500 'illegal dogs' seized
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Police have seized more than 4,500 suspected illegal dogs since the introduction of a new law banning unregistered XL Bullies. Possession of the animals without a certificate of exemption was banned last February and has resulted in more than 55,000 being placed on a government database. The number of attacks by XL Bullies is expected to decrease over the next decade in correlation with a decline in ownership of the dogs. XL Bullies have been blamed for at least 17 fatal attacks since 2020.
Owners must now register and neuter them, and keep them muzzled and on a lead in public. It is illegal to breed or pass them on. Chief Constable Mark Hobrough said: "A big thank you to everyone who registered their dogs. I don't think anybody could have anticipated the numbers." He added: “Undoubtedly the ban and our response to it has driven down the number of dog attacks and we are pleased that the public continues to support us by reporting suspected XL Bully dogs in their local area.".
In the first year of the ban, there have been nine reported fatal dog attacks in England and Wales. Five of these incidents have involved XL Bullies. Mr Hobrough said he expects the number of attacks to increasingly fall in the coming years. He said: "It will not be in organised crime's interests to produce these dogs on the scale they were previously because you are catering for a limited market.".
