Scotland to introduce XL Bully ban, First Minister Humza Yousaf says
Mr Yousaf said the decision to replicate the Dangerous Dogs Act will be taken pending a parliamentary statement next week
Scotland is set to introduce a ban on XL Bully dogs that will "in essence replicate" the UK legislation but without a licence, First Minister Humza Yousaf confirmed.
Mr Yousaf said the decision to replicate the Dangerous Dogs Act will be taken pending a parliamentary statement next week after the country saw an influx of dogs being abandoned north of the border.
It comes after new regulations were implemented in England and Wales after a spate of attacks linked to the breed.
When the issue was raised at First Minister’s Questions on Thursday, Mr Yousaf said the measures in England are not an outright ban on XL bullies as owners can still keep them under certain criteria.
"What has become clear, I'm afraid in the last few weeks, is we have seen a flow of XL Bully dogs coming to Scotland, a number of people coming to Scotland to bring XL Bully dogs here to the country.
"As such, we will give further details to members of the Scottish Parliament through a parliamentary statement if the Parliamentary Bureau agrees next week.
"We will, in essence, replicate the legislation that is in England and Wales here in Scotland because ultimately, although we do have a very good system of dog control notice schemes, and we do take the approach indeed not to breed, we have to respond to the situation as it currently stands and therefore we will do what we need to do to ensure public safety."
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Speaking to journalists after FMQs, Mr Yousaf said the UK Government’s measures are “not a ban” and were announced without consultation with the Scottish Government. He stressed the importance of carrying out such consultations, saying: “The consultation has taken place in relation to the engagement that Siobhian Brown has had with key stakeholders “We can’t ignore the fact that over the last few weeks we have seen evidence of that flow of XL Bully dogs (to Scotland). “We’ll therefore look to replicate some of those safeguards.” In England and Wales, XL Bully dogs must now be kept on a lead and muzzled in public under new restrictions that came into force earlier this month.
Breeding, selling or abandoning the dogs has also become illegal, with owners being urged to apply for a certificate of exemption for current pets before the January 31 deadline.
The restrictions come ahead of a looming ban on the dog breed. From February 1, it will be criminal offence to own an XL bully dog in England and Wales without a certificate.
While the act of transporting dogs is not illegal, the abandoning and rehoming of them in England is and that it is discouraged by the Scottish government.
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