XL Bully dogs still being rehomed days before ban

Animal rescue charities are still rehoming XL Bully dogs just days before a ban on the breed comes into force in England and Wales.

From 31 December breeding, selling, advertising, rehoming, abandoning and allowing an XL Bully dog to stray will be illegal.

Animal charities said they are racing against the clock to rehome the dogs despite the ban coming into force in response to a series of serious dog attacks linked to the breed in the past three years, including at least 12 fatal incidents.

Hope Rescue, an animal refuge charity based in Wales and member of the Dog Control Coalition, is one of the animal shelters with XL Bullies in its care. Dogs Trust, another member of the coalition, is still waiting on a number of potential XL Bully dogs in its care to be assessed.

The RSPCA is also among the animal charities across England and Wales desperately seeking to find suitable homes for XL Bullies.

It has a number XL Bully dogs advertised for rehoming on its website. Among them is a puppy called Coco, who is described as “affectionate” and “sweet” and another dog called Pebbles, who “came from a case of neglect and abandonment” and is said to “absolutely loves fusses and companionship”.

The RSPCA is anticipating more will come through the doors of its branches as the deadline grows nearer.

What does the XL Bully ban mean for affected dogs and owners?

The Government added XL Bullies to the list of dogs banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 following a rise in attacks and fatalities caused by the breed.

From 31 December, XL Bullies will be required to wear a lead and muzzle when in public. It will also be illegal to breed, sell, advertise, exchange, gift, rehome, abandon, or allow XL Bully dogs to stray from this date.

XL Bully owners who want to keep their dog after the ban comes into force must apply for a Certificate of Exemption by 31 January 2024. Any dogs kept following the ban will also need to be microchipped, neutered and kept in a secure place.

From 1 February it will be illegal to own an XL Bully unless it is registered on the Index of Exempted Dogs and is compliant with the requirements. Owners must also have third party public liability insurance for their XL Bully dogs by this date.

Warning XL Bully ban could backfire

While animal rights campaigners support action to curb the number of vicious dog attacks, they argue breed specific bans will not stop such incidents.

Some dog experts have even warned the XL Bully ban could backfire, with pets who have not been adequately prepared for the new exemption measures, which mean they will be forced to wear muzzles and leads in public, going on to display defensive and frustrated behaviour.

Ryan Neile, head of behaviour services at Blue Cross, told i it was hard to say definitively if this could prompt more incidents of aggression but that there is a risk dogs could become defensive.

Mr Neile said: “We are concerned that there will be lots of dogs that aren’t prepared for this big change when the deadline comes and they’re going to be very, very frustrated or scared.”

He added: “If a dog is accustomed to having lots of freedom, if they go off lead, they love to run free, suddenly being restricted and not having that freedom could lead to frustration. And having a muzzle on is an alien sensation for so many dogs unless they’ve had cause to wear them previously.”

Mr Neile said such measures need to be introduced very gradually so that dogs are able to form a positive association with wearing such devices.

Sara Rosser, operations manager at Hope Rescue, said a lack of data around the circumstances of dog attacks meant the ban could “quite possibly” mean dogs unprepared for exemption measures exhibit the behaviour the ban is trying to protect the public from.

Ms Rosser suggested that if a high proportion of attacks by XL Bullies have taken place in domestic settings, compliance with exemption restrictions would not reduce such incidents.

She said: “Were the majority of those dog bites in the home, with a dog that was known to the person? Well, if so, putting these restrictions in place is not going to help with the bigger picture of those.

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“It’s very difficult to say, definitively, yes, this may lead to more bites because we just unfortunately don’t have the data.”

She added that “if those bites are occurring in the home, being muzzled and on lead in public is not going to reduce the risk of that happening at home.

“And indeed, if we are getting more dogs that are frustrated and finding life a bit difficult, then I guess yes, there is the potential that it could increase things.”

In a statement about the ban, the Government said: “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.”

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has also defended its definition of the XL Bully type after animal charities and owners criticised its description of the dogs subject to the ban for lacking clarity.

‘We are hugely concerned about the mental health impact on our staff’

Dr Samantha Gaines, RSPCA

Experts estimate that hundreds of thousands of dogs meet the characteristics of an XL bully as set out by the Government and have warned that thousands of legal, non-XL bullies are highly likely to be caught up in the legislation too.

Dr Samantha Gaines, head of the RSPCA’s companion animal department, said she and her colleagues were facing a “horrendous situation”.

Dr Gaines said: “We are hugely concerned about the mental health impact that this is going to have on our staff.

“It is really, really clear that this is having a noticeable impact and it’s only going to get worse as we get to the end of the year.”

She added that while the RSPCA is used to having to euthanise dogs which are unsuitable for rehoming, the face putting dogs to sleep on an unprecedented scale.

Dr Gaines likened the situation to the mass culling of wild birds in 2022 following an outbreak of avian flu.

“As a result of that there was mental health support provided for each member of staff that had been impacted by that mass cull and every person took up that mental health support. We had one person that completely left the sector because they were so affected by it.”

The animal welfare expert said mental health support is available to colleagues and it is “a likely reality” that staff could quit over the demands the ban places on them.