American bully XLs are not on the UK list of banned breeds
By Andre Rhoden-Paul & Emily McGarvey
BBC News
Home Secretary Suella Braverman is seeking “urgent advice” on banning “lethal” American bully XL dogs.
Her statement comes after footage was posted online of an attack on an 11-year-old girl in Bordesley Green, Birmingham, on Saturday.
Ms Braverman said the attack was “appalling” and the breed was a particular danger to children.
The girl’s mother told the BBC her daughter spent a night in hospital and that she “thanked god” she was alive.
Two men who intervened were also bitten and treated in hospital. The dog is being held in secure kennels and the owner has been spoken to by police.
Image source, Luqman Khan
The 11-year-old suffered bite injuries but is now home from hospital
Ms Braverman wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “This is appalling. The American XL bully is a clear and lethal danger to our communities, particularly to children.
“We can’t go on like this. I have commissioned urgent advice on banning them.”
The prime minister’s spokesman described the Birmingham footage as “shocking”, said the government took the issue “extremely seriously” and added that the law on dangerous dogs had been “toughened” in 2020.
But the attack raised questions from victims about why the breed – which has already killed in the UK – had not been banned already.
Emma Whitfield, whose 10-year-old son Jack Lis was mauled to death in Caerphilly, Wales, in 2021, tweeted: “It’s crazy how this video has gone viral and now politicians are coming out of the woodwork saying how bad it is.
“Where were you when other innocent people were killed? Where were you when I was at Parliament asking for change? Nowhere.”
Jack Lis was killed by an American bully XL in Caerphilly in 2021
The American bully XL is not subject to any legal restrictions in the UK but advice on a ban was commissioned last week, an adviser said.
Adding dogs to the banned list is the responsibility of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), and it is illegal to own, breed or sell dogs on that list.
The PA news agency reported that there were concerns over the feasibility of adding the American bully XL to the banned list.
The dog is not recognised as a specific breed by the Royal Kennel Club, the UK’s largest organisation for breeding and welfare.
How many people die because of dog bites?
- Ten people died because of dog bite injuries in England and Wales last year
- Numbers of attacks are rising. There there were 8,819 admissions to hospitals in England with dog bites last year. There were 4,699 in 2007
- Four dog breeds are banned in the UK – the Pit bull terrier, the Japanese tosa, the Dogo Argentino and the Fila Brasileiro
- Dogs that share physical characteristics to banned breeds, such as cross-breeds, are also banned
- Owning a banned dog can result in an unlimited fine and a prison sentence of up to six months
- Read government guidance on dog ownership for more information.
However, they are responsible for a string of attacks in the UK.
Dog behaviourist Stan Rawlinson told the BBC that the breed was “a whole different ball game.
“The XL bully to my knowledge is probably the most dangerous dog breed or cross-breed I’ve ever seen,” he said.
“It’s hyper-reactive. It has an enhanced prey drive and a reactivity that is totally off the scale.”
Pam, from Doncaster, told BBC Radio 5 Live that American bullies had “ruined” her life after two attacked her dog.
She said: “My husband was walking him on the lead and he was attacked by two of these XL bullies off the lead.
“They hurt my husband’s arm and crushed my dog.
“What sort of dog should be roaming the streets like that? If was a child it be dead. I hate them. They ruined our lives.”
An owner from Luton, who identified herself as Kelly, however told BBC Radio 5 Live that her dog was “placid” and hated that people crossed the street when she took it for walks.
“My boy Odie hears a child crying and its ears perk up and it wants to go and calm this child down,” she said.
“I don’t see why people need to ban him, why not ban all the little Jack Russells that like to bite. Why ban one dog because someone doesn’t like it.
She said that she was “tired of the stigma against XL bullies”.
A Defra spokesman said: “We take dog attacks and anti-social behaviour very seriously and are making sure the full force of the law is being applied.
“This can range from lower-level Community Protection Notices – which require dog owners to take appropriate action to address behaviour – to more serious offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act, where people can be put in prison for up to 14 years, be disqualified from ownership or result in dangerous dogs being euthanised.”
Are you in favour of a ban on the breed? Or are you an American bully XL owner? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
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