XL Bully dogs will be banned by the end of this year after the recent surge in deadly attacks.
The government on Tuesday confirmed the breed has been added to the list of dogs forbidden under the Dangerous Dogs Act following a string of fatal attacks in the UK in less than a year.
Under the new rules, which come into force on 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.
XL Bully dogs have been banned from the end of this year after the recent surge in deadly attacks
(PA Wire)
From this date, these dogs must also be kept on a lead and muzzled in public.
The laws then state it will be illegal to own an American XL bully from 1 February, 2024, unless it is on a list of exempted dogs.
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.”
It comes after a string of attacks, which last month led Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to say the breed would be added to the Dangerous Dogs Act list by the end of the year, calling the breed a “danger to our communities”.
As recently as the weekend, a 29-year-old woman was seriously injured in a suspected XL bully attack in Wallsend on Saturday night.
Earlier this month, a woman was injured after she was attacked by her own American XL bully in Norfolk.
Last month, Ian Price, a 52-year-old man from Staffordshire, died in hospital after being attacked by two American XL bullies.
In November last year, Jack Lis, 10, was killed by a American XL bully while at a friend’s house in South Wales. The owners of the dog, Amy Salter and Brandon Haydon, were jailed as a result of the attack.
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