XL Bully Ban 2023 – What does it mean?
It’s the news that dog professionals and owners alike have been dreading. The UK Government, instead of listening to the incessant cries from the dog professional community for years to introduce regulation to dog breeding and ownership in order to prevent dog attacks (as well as overcrowded shelters, neglect, and exploitation) has invoked a knee jerk response to recent tragic attacks involving XL Bullys, and has added them to the banned breeds list, with effect from 31st December 2023.
From this date, it will be a criminal offence to
- sell
- abandon
- rehome
- breed
- have an XL Bully in public without a lead or muzzle (this includes your car!)
It is not an offence to own an XL Bully, provided you are over the age of 16 and the dog is:
- microchipped
- covered by 3rd party liability insurance
- neutered (if they are aged 1 year or older)
- has a Certificate of Exemption
There is currently no information on how to obtain the Certificate of Exemption yet, we are awaiting direction from DEFRA, but we do know it will have an administration fee of £92.40 and you’ll need to have applied by 31st December 2023.
The XL Bully is not classed as an official breed by the Kennel Club, however the government has issued guidelines on the characteristic combinations of what constitutes an XL Bully. It is important to note that while your dog may not have been sold to you as an XL Bully, if it meets these characteristics then you should prepare for the ban, or risk losing your dog.
Breeding / Puppies
Since the ban comes into effect in approximately 56 days, and the average gestation period is roughly 60 days for a dog, all breeding plans should be ceased immediately, since the puppies will not be able to be legally sold, rehomed, exchanged, gifted, or advertised from 31st December.
The breeding ban applies to XL Bullys and the breeding any other combination of dog to produce an XL Bully type.
What will happen to XL Bullys in rescue centres?
The same rules will apply for XL Bullys in rescue centres. From 31st December they will no longer be allowed to be rehomed and must remain in the care of the shelter, subject to a Certificate of Exemption. As most shelters operate on a charitable basis with the purpose of finding loving homes for abandoned animals, this puts shelter owners in a very difficult position, with only one alternative, devastating option.
Euthanasia
I hesitate to use this term, because Euthanasia by definition, is the “painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease” when, in this instance, no such pain or disease exists. However, since this is a very sensitive topic, I will continue to use the term in spite of the fact that it is blatantly not being done in the best interest of the dog.
More information on this can be found on GOV.UK
XL Bully Owners
For devastated XL Bully owners, you must prepare as best you can for this ban to maintain the best quality of life for your dog. Advice includes muzzle and lead training your dog so that they can still enjoy public spaces. There are some free advice pages below:
We recommend seeking the advice or service of a qualified, force free dog trainer. Here are our Wooflinks reccomendations:
Any dog professional you use, whether it’s a dog walker, sitter, day care, or kennel will be impacted by this ban. The ban may invalidate their insurance, and they may not be able to carry out your regular service due to new rules and pressure from their other clients. Please don’t blame them, they are doing everything they can with the limited information they have.
For full government guidelines on the XL Bully ban please head over to GOV.UK
Another useful resource is Trevor Cooper, dog law specialist.
