Date American XL Bullies will be banned as full details announced
American bully XLs have officially been banned with the 'breed' added to the list of dangerous dogs. From February 1 next year, 2024, it will be a criminal offence to own one in England and Walesd unless you have applied for exemption.
Owners allowed to keep the dogs will have to have them neutred and chipped. From December 31, 2023, it will be against the law to sell, abandon, breed from or give away an American bully XL, or have one in public without a lead or muzzle.
If your dog is less than one year old on 31 January 2024, it must be neutered by 31 December next year. If your dog is older than one year old on 31 January 2024, it must be neutered by 30 June.
Government data says there are more than 3,000 banned dogs living in homes in England, Scotland and Wales. Following a Freedom of Information request, the BBC obtained data from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) which showed 3,499 banned dogs are registered with 3,316 of them in England.
Most of the dogs are pit bull terriers, with 149 banned dogs in Wales and 13 in Scotland. Currently in the UK, according to Defra, there are four dog breeds that are on the Dangerous Dogs Act banned list, including the pit bull terrier, the Japanese tosa, the dogo argentino and the fila brasileiro.
These dog breeds can be taken from owners unless they are placed on the index of exempt dogs which is obtained if the court believes the dog is not a danger to the public. Last month, after a string of attacks, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said American XL bullies dogs would added to the Dangerous Dogs Act list by the end of the year, calling the breed a “danger to our communities”.
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 an 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. Environment Secretary Therese Coffey said she thought a “good definition” of the dog type had been agreed.
She added: "We will continue to work closely with the police[1], canine and veterinary experts, and animal welfare groups, as we take forward these important measures."
Ms Coffey said the UK Government estimated there were about 10,000 American XL bullies in the UK while the Blue Cross animal charity suggested it was more like 15,000.