Since the UK banned the breeding and ownership of XL bully dogs last December, the police have been destroying more than 100 dangerous dogs every month, with many facilities now at capacity and the costs of kennelling seized dogs rising dramatically. Though the law was introduced in response to a succession of high-profile incidents, it appears that dog attacks continue to rise rather than fall; 22 of the 25 police forces that provided information under a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the BBC said that they were seeing more reported incidents this year. Nearly 2,000 dogs that police believe may be XL bullies have been seized in England and Wales in the first eight months of this year alone, with over 800 destroyed.
Lisa Willis was mauled by an XL bully several months after the ban was introduced, and now believes the law is “useless”. She is calling for owners of such dogs to be banned from keeping animals, after the previous dog owner quickly replaced it following the attack. Five types of dog are now banned in the UK: XL bully, pit bull terrier, Japanese Tosa, Doga Argentino and Fila Braziliero. Dogs registered before the ban were required to be neutered, muzzled in public and kept in secure conditions.
The UK government originally suggested that there were around 10,000 XL bully dogs in England and Wales, but now the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has registers of more than 57,000 of the breed. Specialist training is required to identify breeds: initially responsible for kennelling seized dogs while breeds are confirmed, a sixfold rise in kennelling costs to £25m annually has been reported.
The police are now seeking a change in the law to deal with people found in possession of dangerous dogs. This move has implications because approximately a third of the dogs registered by Defra may not actually be XL bullies and there is no guidance as yet on how to remove them from the register. The police would like to caution responsible owners who may unwittingly have purchased an XL bully, while retaining powers to clamp down on illegal breeders and persistent offenders
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