Scottish government introduces ban on XL Bully dogs

The Scottish government has introduced restrictions on XL Bully dogs, replicating those in England and Wales.

A date for when the rules will officially be imposed has yet to be confirmed, however owners in Scotland wishing to keep their dogs will also need to keep the XL Bully on a lead and muzzled in public.

The second phase will see owners able to apply for their dogs to be added to an exemption list to keep them.

Owners wishing to keep their XL Bully will have to pay an unconfirmed fee – £92.40 in England and Wales – to register the pet.

The changes were formally announced in the Scottish Parliament today, after First Minister Humza Yousaf committed to replicate the Dangerous Dogs Act last week.

The UK government brought in a ban last year after a rise in XL Bully attacks.

From December 31 it became illegal to sell, abandon or breed XL Bully dogs, with owners in England and Wales required to muzzle their dogs in public and keep them on a lead.

From February 1 it became a criminal offence to own the dangerous breed without an exemption certificate.

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Scottish Minister for Community Safety Siobhan Brown criticised the UK government for "failing to stop dog owners in England and Wales evading the new controls by bringing their dogs to Scotland.

"That changed the balance of whether we needed to act here in Scotland."

She said: "these are exceptional circumstances in which we find ourselves. It means that it is now right and proper that we replicate the controls being implemented south of the border.”

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the measures on dangerous dogs are being introduced five years too late, after the Scottish Parliament’s Public Audit and Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee said the Act was “not fit for purpose”.

But Ms Brown also said: “We recognise the vast majority of dog owners are responsible animal lovers and will want to keep their XL Bully dogs and comply with these safeguards when they are introduced.”

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