England, Wales Ban on XL Bully Dogs to Take Effect Sunday

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Facts

  • A controversial ban on American XL Bully dogs, which will make it illegal to sell, abandon, give away, and breed them, as well as to have an XL Bully in public without a lead and muzzle, is set to come into effect on Sunday in England and Wales.1
  • People who already own American XL Bullies must apply for an exemption certificate, which requires them to obtain active public liability insurance and to have their dogs microchipped and neutered, by Feb. 1 to avoid committing a criminal offense.2
  • According to data from the British government, roughly three out of every five XL Bullies in England and Wales have been registered on the Index of Exempted Dogs to date at a fee of more than $100. Yet, some owners have reportedly sent their dogs to Scotland, where the ban doesn't apply.3
  • In an open letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the Dog Control Coalition — an alliance that includes the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) — warned the ban will place a 'huge' weight on vets and rescue centers and called for the deadline to be extended due to 'little time' to prepare.4
  • The ban was announced in September in the wake of at least five deaths linked to XL Bullies. Though the breed is estimated to make up less than 1% of UK dogs, it has reportedly been behind nearly half of the attacks this year and three-quarters of the fatalities over the past three years.5
  • The muscular breed will join four other breeds — the Pit Bull terrier, the Japanese Tosa, the Dogo Argentino, and the Fila Brasileiro — which are all banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.6

Sources: 1CNN, 2BBC News, 3Daily Mail, 4ITV News, 5Guardian and 6Independent.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Spectator (UK). As Britain should have long widened its ban on dangerous dogs to include all of them and enforce it to prevent further fatalities, banning XL Bullies is certainly good news. Regardless of claims that they could have wonderful temperaments if treated properly, it's in the nature of fighting-bred dogs to attack and kill.
  • Narrative B, as provided by FEE. It's certain that unrestrained, aggressive dogs pose a threat to communities, but breed-specific legislation has already proved to be a high-cost and ineffective measure to prevent dog attacks. The epitome of canine evil was once the Rottweilers; now it's pit bull-type dogs such as the XL Bully, so instead of focusing on the breed, policies should take into account how dogs behave.