Jess Hardiman
XL bully dogs are set to be banned by the government, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed, saying the breed posed a 'danger to our communities'.
He shared the news in a video message:
An 11-year-old schoolgirl in Birmingham was attacked last week, leaving her needing stitches in her lower arm.
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In light of the incident, people have been calling for the large breed of dog to be banned - with pressure increasing after a man in Stonnall died following an attack involving two dogs yesterday.
Now Sunak has confirmed that breed will be banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act, saying new laws will be in place 'by the end of the year'.
Addressing the public in a video message, he said: “The American XL bully dog is a danger to our communities, particularly our children.
“I share the nation’s horror at the recent videos we’ve all seen. Yesterday we saw a another suspected XL bully dog attack, which has tragically led to a fatality.
“It is clear this is not about a handful of badly trained dogs, it’s a pattern of behaviour and it cannot go on.
“While owners already have a responsibility to keep their dogs under control, I want to reassure people that we are urgently working on ways to stop these attacks and protect the public.
“Today I have tasked ministers to bring together police and experts, to firstly define the breed of dog behind these attacks, with the view to then outlawing it.
“It is not currently a breed defined in law, so this vital first step must happen fast.
“We will then ban the breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act and new laws will be in place by the end of the year.
“These dogs are dangerous, I want to reassure the public that we will take all necessary steps to keep people safe.”
Some dog owners have been against the potential ban, including Ellee Keegan, from Bromsgrove in Birmingham.
In an attempt to break the stigma surrounding XL bullies, insisting insists that her pet - called Costa - is a 'big softie', Keegan explained: "[Banning the breed] is not going to change a thing.
"If they put the XL bully on the banned list, they will just move on to focus on another dog like the Cane Corso.
"There are already four dogs on the banned list and it clearly hasn't changed anything.
"My heart goes out the 11-year-old girl and man and their families and it is devastating what has happened but it is clearly not the dog's fault."