Home Secretary Seeks "Urgent Advice" on Banning XL American Bully
Image source: REUTERS
Home Secretary Suella Braverman is seeking “urgent advice” about whether to ban American XL bully dogs in the UK following footage of an attack on an 11-year-old and 2 men on Saturday.
11-year-old Ana was attacked by the dog when it broke free from its collar in Birmingham, with another 2 men being injured by the dog when it broke free from its owner for a second time. The dog was seized by officers and has been taken to secure kennels following the incident.
The attack has been taken extremely seriously by the government, with advice now being sought on whether to ban the breed in the UK. There are currently no restrictions on the American XL bully in the UK, but if the dog is added to the banned dogs list by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), it will be illegal to own, breed or sell them.
However, the Dog Control Coalition, which includes the RSPCA, the Battersea Dogs Home and the Royal Kennel Club is against the banning of specific dogs breeds, instead saying that the problems with these “dangerous” breeds is as a result of irresponsible breeding and ownership, which can result in increased chances of aggression in any breed of dog. This view has also been supported by Labour MP and Common’s Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (EFRA) member, Barry Gardiner, who thinks that the government should be controlling owners, rather than the breed.
The breeds currently on the banned list for the UK are the Pit Bull Terrier, the Japanese Tosa, the Dogo Argentino and the Fila Brasileiro, including all cross-breeds. The ownership of banned dogs can produce a fine and prison sentence of up to six months.
This incident is not the first attack associated with this breed, with a 10-year-old boy being mauled to death in Wales in 2021.
