American XL bully dogs to be banned after attacks, Rishi Sunak says
Campaigners have welcomed the move to outlaw the breed they argue is "a clear and present threat to public health", but concerns have been raised it may not be practical and lead to other kinds of dogs being prohibited.
Saturday 16 September 2023 06:58, UK
American XL bully dogs are a danger to communities and will be banned, Rishi Sunak has vowed, after a man was mauled to death.
Announcing the move, the prime minister said he "shared the nation's horror" at such attacks and they could not be allowed to continue.
Mr Sunak was responding to the latest incident in which a man died after being savaged by two dogs outside a property in Stonnall, Staffordshire, on Thursday afternoon.
A ban on American XL bully dogs was already being looked at after shocking footage emerged of an attack in Birmingham last weekend that left an 11-year-old girl with serious injuries.
South Yorkshire Police reported four separate dog attacks on children in two days, including one where a 15-year-old was taken to hospital after being savaged by an XL bully in Sheffield.
Police in London are also hunting the owner of a grey pitbull-type dog that attacked a four-year-old boy on Monday.
But the Dog Control Coalition, which encompasses animal charities including the RSPCA, Dogs Trust and the Kennel Club, said banning XL bully dogs will not stop attacks.
Any ban should be based on "robust evidence", a spokeswoman for the coalition said - adding it was "deeply concerned" by the "lack of data behind this decision and its potential to prevent dog bites".
She added: "The biggest priority for everyone involved is to protect the public - but banning the breed will sadly not stop these types of incidents recurring.
"For 32 years, the Dangerous Dogs Act has focused on banning types of dog and yet has coincided with an increase in dog bites, and the recent deaths show this approach isn't working."
The coalition is urging ministers to tackle the "root cause" by dealing with "unscrupulous breeders putting profit before welfare", and "irresponsible owners".
Sunak: 'This cannot go on'
Earlier, in a video statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, the prime minister 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 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."
'Beasts cause misery in our communities'
Home Secretary Suella Braverman also posted to X, saying: "Today's tragedy underlines the need to ban the American XL bully.
"They are a threat to life and cause misery in our communities.
"We are taking action to ban them and, in the meantime, I expect police to use all available powers to protect the public from these beasts."
Meanwhile, Downing Street denied the government had taken too long to ban American XL bully dogs.
Asked whether ministers had "dragged their heels" on outlawing the breed, the prime minister's official spokesman said: "I wouldn't accept that.
"Clearly this breed of dog isn't defined in law so it's right to take the time to consider the best way to put an end to these horrendous attacks that we're seeing."
But there is concern a move to prohibit the animal may not be practical due to the American XL bully not being recognised as a breed by the Kennel Club, which could mean any ban may inadvertently outlaw other kinds of dogs.
It has led to demands for an overhaul of the existing legislation, so it focuses "not on the breed but the deed", or even for the entire law to be "sent to the knacker's yard".
Read more:
Why banning the dogs could be problematic
Two XL bully dogs shot dead after killing 22 pregnant sheep
XL bully owner defends breed but calls for tougher laws
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'A clear and present threat'
Speaking in parliament on Thursday, Tory former MP Baroness Fookes said: "I suggest that he should be more radical when looking at the Dangerous Dogs Act.
"It is time that that was sent to the knacker's yard and a new system instituted altogether.
"I say this with some regret because I was the one who introduced it in the other place [the Commons] in the first place."
At the same time, former police chief Lord Hogan-Howe called for a national amnesty to get dangerous dogs off the streets.
As head of the Merseyside force back in 2007, he had introduced such a measure following the death of five-year-old Ellie Lawrenson, who was mauled by a banned pitbull-type dog at her grandmother's home in St Helens on New Year's Day.
Campaign groups have welcomed the government's planned ban.
In a joint statement, Bully Watch, the Campaign for Evidence Based Regulation of Dangerous Dogs (CEBRDD) and Protect Our Pets claimed the breed was a "a clear and present threat to public health".
Lawrence Newport, of CEBRDD, said: "Retrievers retrieve, pointers point. Fighting dogs fight. We have found this to our great cost.
"The importing of the American bully, a highly inbred pitbull-type, led to skyrocketing deaths and attacks. This ban will finally allow the government and police to act, before another child or pet is ripped apart."