'Banning XL Bully types is not the answer': How campaigners are planning to challenge the government

ITV News reporter David Harper explains how an increase in XL Bully attacks prompted the government to ban the breed in the UK.

Members of parliament are to debate two online petitions relating to government legislation on American XL Bully's on Monday.

Earlier this year, the government confirmed from December 31, XL bully types will be added to the list of dangerous dogs that are banned in the UK.

Under the new rules, it will be illegal to breed, sell, exchange, gift, rehome, abandon or allow the dogs to stray in England & Wales, the government said.

Pet owners are also required to have their dogs muzzled and on a lead when in public, but they have until February 1 next year to apply for an exemption.

But campaign groups are challenging the legislation amid growing calls from animal charities that multiple dogs have been abandoned and even "killed en masse" since the government announcement, according to a BBC investigation.

One campaign group of XL bully owners and dog experts called Don't Ban Me - License Me, is spearheading this challenge.

It said last week that it submitted a pre-action protocol to the government in the hopes of applying for an injunction to delay the ban, The Guardian reported.

A spokesperson for the group did not immediately respond to ITV News' request for comment.

When is the debate and who is involved?

The debate is expected to happen at 4.30pm in the Commons today.

Nick Fletcher MP, a member of the Petitions Committee, has been asked to open the debate while Mark Spencer, the minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries, will respond on behalf of the government.

During the debate, ministers will also be discussing two online petitions, the most popular of which has more than 604,000 signatures at the time of writing.

The petition argues that "bad owners are to blame, not the breed."

The second petition, which has over 107,000 signatures at the time of writing, urges the government to replace the Dangerous Dogs Act with legislation that "focuses on early intervention" and tackling "dog-related issues regardless of breed or type."

Who else is campaigning against the ban?

A number of animal organisations have also opposed the ban, arguing there is not enough evidence it will reduce the number of dog attacks and could lead to animals being put down unnecessarily.

A spokesperson for the animal welfare charity told ITV News in a statement: "Urgent action is clearly needed on dangerous dog legislation, but banning XL Bully types is not the answer."

"The breed ban has consistently failed to effectively protect the public over 32 years, a periodduring which dog bite incidents have consistently continued to rise, and extending it would not do so now," they added.

What is the government saying?

Upon announcing the ban, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said it was it had taken action to protect the public.

A spokesperson for the department previously told The Guardian: “We have taken quick and decisive action to protect the public from tragic dog attacks by adding the XL bully type."

“Alongside this, we are focused on ensuring that the full range of existing powers to tackle dog control issues are effectively applied across all breeds of dog," they added.

"This includes considering the role of education and training to reduce the risk of dog attacks, as well as how we can improve data collection and enforcement practices.”

What is an XL Bully and are they dangerous?

The XL is the largest of four types of American Bully breed and was first developed in the 1990s.

It is thought to have been bred from a number of breeds including the American pit bull terrier, which was banned in the UK in 1991.

Fully grown adult males can weigh more than 57kg and grow to 53cm in height.

The dogs have soared in popularity in recent years, with puppies selling for thousands of pounds.

But XL Bullies have been involved in several high-profile attacks in the UK, including in September when an 11-year-old girl was attacked by a dog in Birmingham. She was treated in hospital.

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