dogs
From Sunday it will be illegal to rehome, sell or transfer ownership of the dogs in England and Wales
Sun Dec 31, 2023, 11:47am GMT
Campaigners seeking to overturn the UK Government's ban on XL Bully dogs have been granted a court hearing. With the law coming into force, the owners of the animals are now subject to strict restrictions.
From Sunday it will be illegal to rehome, sell or transfer ownership of XL Bully dogs in England and Wales. They must be muzzled and kept on a leash in public. Animal rescue centers fear they could be forced to euthanize hundreds of dogs.
The campaign group Don't Ban Me – License Me applied for an injunction to suspend the ban, which was not granted. However, a judicial review hearing has been approved for January which, if successful, could stop or change the new rules.
Dog attack victims and activists supporting the XL bullying ban say they are at risk of abuse
The group, which advocates for better training and licensing of dogs rather than a ban, said it received support from more than 600,000 petition signatories as well as animal welfare and dog behavior experts.
Owners have until January 31 to apply for an exemption certificate if they want to keep their pet. This includes having the animal neutered, microchipped and covered by liability insurance. From this point on it is a criminal offense to own an XL Bully without a Bully.
The RSPCA has been vocal in its opposition to the ban, saying owners have not been given enough time to prepare for the new rules and any XL Bully dogs not rehomed by New Year's Eve will have to be euthanized.
In a statement, the organization said it was difficult to say exactly how many XL Bully dogs were in its care because of a lack of dog lawmakers capable of identifying breeds, but it was believed more than 200.
“We are still confident that there will be a judicial review in mid-January,” Dawn Smith, head of social care at the RSPCA, told the BBC. “We worry about dogs that don’t have an owner because they won’t have anyone to take responsibility for them and thousands of dogs will be euthanized.”
The RSPCA said a number of animals could not be rehomed in a timely manner “for behavioral or medical reasons” and staff were faced with the “heartbreaking” prospect of seeing them euthanized.
In response to a series of serious attacks and deaths linked to the breed, XL Bullies were added to the Dangerous Dogs Act on October 31, giving owners two months to prepare for the first stage of restrictions.
Stores selling dog muzzles said they had been inundated with orders and forced to develop larger sizes to fit XL bully dogs, while training courses to teach owners how to safely muzzle their dogs were fully booked .
Meanwhile, those in favor of the ban say they have been mistreated and threatened.
Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said: “The Prime Minister has pledged to take swift and decisive action by the end of 2023 to protect the public from devastating dog attacks.”
“We have fulfilled this promise: It is now a legal requirement that bully dogs of size XL must wear a muzzle and be kept on a leash in public. It is also now illegal to breed, sell, advertise, give away, trade, abandon or allow XL Bully dogs to stray.
“All XL Bully owners are expected to abide by the law and we will continue to work closely with police, canine and veterinary experts and animal welfare groups, with further restrictions on XL Bully dogs coming in on February 1st “Strike power.”
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