New laws prevent XL bully dogs being sold in Northern Ireland and they must be muzzled in public

New laws and restrictions come into force on Friday 5 July concerning XL bully dogs in Northern Ireland.

The new rules will bring the country into line with the rest of the UK with the sale and breeding of the dogs becoming illegal while owners will have to ensure their dog is muzzled and on a lead when out in public.

Campaigners say the introduction of the rules will negatively impact innocent animals and owners.

A spate of attacks in the rest of the UK, some which resulted in deaths, which have prompted Stormont to act.

Although there have been no deaths attributed to the breed in Northern Ireland, there have been a number of attacks - 48 in total since the start of 2023 – with nearly two thirds of those, causing serious injury to people or other animals.

The number of those registered here has also nearly doubled to 196 since laws were introduced in the rest of the UK in September 2023.

Campaigners say it's the deed, not the breed, that should be punished.

“A lot of these bullies that are bred that are bred to be dangerous are all associated with other crimes, so they're not going to stop breeding just because the law said they're not allowed to do it,” said Karen Matthews from Almost Home Animal Shelter.

“Every dog needs to be looked at as individual.”

Those tasked with protecting animals are critical of the move.

“The legislation has been in place for 32 years,” said Nora Smith, Chief Executive of the USPCA.

“During that 32 year period, the number of dog attacks across the UK has increased rather than decreased, so it simply hasn't achieved what it was set out to do in the first place.”

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