UK to Ban American XL Bullies After Dog Attack 2023

On September 15, 2023, the UK announced plans to ban American XL Bully dogs after a suspected attack led to a fatality.

Dog bans are not new around the world. In the United Kingdom, a number of breeds have been banned over the years including Pit Bulls, Japanese Tosa’s and Fila Brasileiro’s.

It is believed that this new ban on American XL Bullies is an attempt to stop further attacks which can occur when these large dogs are not adequately trained or managed.

In my home country of Canada, we have banned the breeding of numerous breeds, such as pit bulls, for similar reasons. However, the UK’s proposed ban will go a step further. It is being proposed that all of the American XL Bullies in the UK be seized and culled.

This isn’t my usual content, but I think it’s important to talk about to understand why it’s happening and why breed bans do/don’t work.

Why is the UK banning American XL Bully dogs?

On Thursday, September 14, 2023, a man (52) later identified as Ian Price was injured by two XL bullies near Walsall in the UK. He later died in hospital.

The owner of the two dogs in question has been arrested for manslaughter due to his known dangerous dogs being out of control.

He had previously been spoken to by police on 2 occasions where his dogs were out of his control and caused fear or injury in the area.

This is unfortunately not the only case of injury in the UK by these large breeds.

Rishi Sunak, the UK Prime Minister, announced the ban after this attack gained national attention, but there have been many others in the country’s past.

Lord Baker, the Tory peer secretary, agreed with the decision and says the dogs are “born to be aggressive and bred to be aggressive”.

What is an American XL Bully?

An American XL Bully is, as the name suggests, a breed of dog from the USA that came to be from a mix of American Pit Bull Terriers. It is thought they were mixed with American Staffordshire Terriers, but may also be mixed with English Bulldogs, French Mastiffs, and Spanish Bulldogs.

The XL Bullies are the largest of the 4 sizes: standard, pocket, classic, and XL.

They can weigh more than 60kg (130lbs), making them especially intimidating.

Pit bulls in the US have a dark history with dog fighting rings. Humans bred them specifically for fighting and aggression.

Every pit bull I’ve ever met has been a massive softie, with a giant hard skull they only use to shove in your lap for pets. But these dogs do look intimidating, especially when compared with a fluffy Pomeranian or Shih Tzu that people are more familiar with in cities.

The United Kennel Club calls them “first and foremost, a companion, exhibiting confidence with a zest and exuberance for life. Despite its powerful appearance, their demeanor is gentle and friendly. This breed makes an excellent family dog.”

They say aggression is uncharacteristic of the breed – although you’ll see many news outlets misreporting this.

I’ve included a photo of an XL Bully above, but if you’ve never seen one before you can recognize them by their powerful chests, short fur, pointed ears, strong tail, and extreme muscles. They often look like body builders in dog form.

But don’t be fooled by that – they’re usually the sweetest dogs around!

The issue comes from poor breeding or bad owners – which is what we’re seeing most of in the UK.

What does a breed ban mean?

Breed bans are different in every country. In the UK, a dog breed ban means that you cannot sell, abandon, give away, or breed a banned dog.

If you own one before or despite the ban, you only have a right to keep it if the dog does not act dangerously and there are no complaints by others.

Those of us with dogs will know how little it takes to get someone to complain about your dog – often just because they don’t like dogs or are afraid of them and take it out on you.

You may even need to go to court to get your dog put on the Index of Exempt Dogs. This is costly, as you have to appear in court, get insurance against your dog injured someone, neuter your dog (if not already neutered), microchip your dog, and keep them on a leash with a muzzle at all times.

These limitations are meant to protect the public against these dogs that are still in society until they seemingly die out of the population.

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (Amended 1997)

The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 is an act of UK Parliament that was put in place to prevent future dangerous incidents from occurring. It also created the Index of Exempted Dogs which outlines the specific breeds and types of dogs that are exempt from being banned or needing to go through extra procedures.

The Act was brought into effect for there to be legal ramifications to protect individuals from dangerous dogs causing injury. Beforehand, anyone could own any breed and that breed could inflict injury or threaten injury with minimal to no consequences.

Section 1 of the act outlines specific banned breeds. People can bring a dog to court just for looking like a banned breed of dog, and file to try to have it put down.

The Index of Exempted Dogs allows owners to protect their non-dangerous dogs who either are a banned breed or look like a banned breed.

Section 3 makes it a criminal offence for any breed of dog, even if not a banned breed, to be “dangerously out of control in a public place”. The dog doesn’t even have to cause injury, just the threat of injury or instill enough fear in someone.

If they injury someone, then it is an aggravated offense where the owner can be charged with something like manslaughter, as we saw in the case of the 52 year old man killed due to an incident with an American XL Bully in September.

To prevent people from abusing this, police do use discretion. In all the cases I read, they seem to take the “fear” as needing to be quite extreme – like a dog rushing at you, mouth open, having bit someone else else. Not just you see a dog and panic due to your own phobia.

Additional UK Acts Regarding Dogs

There are other Acts in the UK that also play a role in the policing of dogs.

The Dogs Act of 1871 critically says that if there is any incident relating to a dog due to irresponsible owners, the courts can act as they see fit to either require control of the dog or euthanize the dog.

The Dangerous Dogs Act of 1989 added that an owner could lose custody of their dog for any period the court chose.

The Metropolitan Police Act of 1839 and Town Police Clauses Act of 1847 make it a civil offense for anyone to have an unmuzzled, uncontrolled dog that attacks or is running loose.

The Offences Against the Person Act of 1861 – not specifically about dogs – also plays a role. This Act makes it illegal to maliciously wound of cause grievous bodily harm to an individual with a weapon or instrument – in this case, the dog would be the weapon.

UK Banned Dog Breeds

There are 4 breeds of dog that are banned in the UK officially:

• Pit Bull Terrier
• Japanese Tosa
• Dogo Argentino
• Fila Brasileiro

The American Bully is in the process of being added to this list.

Dog Attacks in the UK

Dog attacks are on the rise in the UK. The BBC found that there has been a 34% increase in recorded dog attacks in England and Wales since 2018.

In 2022, 21,918 attacks were reported.

Some notable attacks in recent years are:

• Ian Price, 52, died after an incident with 2 dogs believed to be American XL Bullies.
• Jack Lis, 10, died after an attack by an American Bully. His mother, Emma Whitfield, is the loudest supporter of the breed getting banned.
• Ana Paun, 11, was attacked by an American XL Bully. And the two men who tried to intervene were also hospitalized with injuries. No one died, thankfully.
• A toddler was mauled by the family’s new XL Bully a week after they brought it home.

I couldn’t find any specific news reports about dog attacks that didn’t involve XL Bullys. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

It is likely due to the media attention on this breed.

They are said to be 50%+ responsible for attacks in the UK, but it is hard to confirm that when there is limited reporting on any other breed causing issues.

Pit Bull Dog Bans

I’m from Canada, where pit bulls have been banned since 2005 in Ontario. This includes all variations of pit bulls: Staffies, American pit bulls, etc.

However, we don’t cull dogs the way that they do based on the UK ban – and the way some are proposing be done to all XL Bullies that exist in the UK when the ban is put in place at the end of the year.

Instead, we ban the breeding of these dogs, and the importation.

I have many friends with pit bulls and pit bull breeds, and they are the sweetest dogs I’ve ever met.

On the other hand, I have friends with Shih Tzu and Chihuahua type breeds that I am genuinely terrified to be in the same room as.

Unfortunately, dog racism is a thing.

People see large dogs, especially muscular ones, and assume aggression.

They do have a history of being bred for dog fights in some cases, but many breeds have been bred for purposes they no longer serve.

My golden retriever, for instance, would make a terrible hunting dog. If he hears loud noises, he hides. And he has 0 ability to find things that aren’t right in front of his face.

Conclusion: My Opinion on Banned Breeds Worldwide

I definitely agree with The Kennel Club spokesperson who said, “Action should instead focus on the ‘deed not breed’ and we have long been campaigning for a change in the law to concentrate on the prevention of dog attacks, rather than demonising certain breeds simply because of the way they look.”

They – and I – fully support work to reduce dog attacks and bites. But we can’t just demonize a single breed.

Work needs to be done across the board to prevent things like this in all breeds.

I grew up with a troubled dog we got from a rescue who did bite someone. We took the necessary action to rehome the dog with someone who could isolate it, control it, and keep both it and people safe.

It was a spaniel. Not a breed you’d typically expect to bite, but it did.

Ultimately, I think the issue comes down to people, not dogs. We need better systems for dog training, more governance on breeding (and removing backyard breeders), and to work on a dog-by-dog basis rather than a breed-by-breed.

Just like with people, no one is intrinsically a monster. Sure nature can play a role, but so can nuture.

Both need to be considered to protect everyone involved, including the dog.

My heart goes out to those who have been injured by dog attacks or to the families of those who lost someone to dog attacks. But I don’t think the answer is banning a singular breed.

In fact, this first came to my attention because “dog racism” and “jack russels” were trending on my Twitter on the weekend after the announcement. Most people were comparing the XL bullies to Jack Russels, and noting they’re more afraid of the small terriers than the large ones.