XL Bully-type dogs are to be banned.
Parliament has agreed the ban today following the recent rise in fatal attacks.
Under the new rules, which come into force at the end of the year, it will be illegal to breed, sell, advertise, exchange, gift, rehome, abandon or allow XL Bully dogs to stray in England and Wales.
From this date, these dogs must be kept on a lead and muzzled in public. Owners of XL Bully dogs are recommended to start training their dog to wear a muzzle and to walk on a lead ahead of the legal restrictions coming into force.
Breeders have also been told to stop mating these types of dogs from now in preparation of it being a criminal offence to sell or rehome these dogs.
From February 1 2024, it will become illegal to own an XL Bully dog if it is not registered on the Index of Exempted Dogs.
Owners who wish to keep their dogs will have until the end of January to register them and will be forced to comply with strict requirements. As well as being muzzled and kept on a lead in public, the dogs must also be microchipped and neutered.
Dogs under one year when the ban comes in must be neutered by the end of the year, older dogs must be neutered by the end of June.
From February 1, owners without a certificate of exemption face a criminal record and an unlimited fine if they are found to be in possession of an XL Bully type, and their dog could be seized.
Owners whose dogs are dangerously out of control are already breaking the law, and the enforcement authorities have a full range of powers to apply penalties to them. Under the Dangerous Dogs Act, people can be put in prison for up to 14 years, be disqualified from ownership or their dangerous dogs can be euthanised.
