XL bully ban could lead to more dogs being abandoned, charity warns

The ban on American XL bully dogs could lead to a rise in the number of dogs being abandoned, a charity has warned.

Earlier this year, the Government announced that the American bully XL dog is to be banned following a series of recent attacks.

St Giles Animal Rescue, which runs a dog shelter in Taunton, Somerset, said they are expecting to see an increase in the number of stray dogs when the ban comes into effect.

"It's a very tricky situation. What we anticipate happening when the law comes in, is that we'll get a lot of strays dropped off because people won't want to necessarily keep the dog," said Komala Moran, from St Giles Animal Rescue.

"So we'll get an influx of the breed, and then we're stuck in the situation where we haven't been given a huge amount of guidance about what we're supposed to do because it's illegal for them to be stray in the first place and illegal for us to rehome them," she added.

Since the American bully XL ban was announced, the charity said it has been dealing with a high number of calls from owners concerned about what the future may hold for their dogs.

Ms Moran said: "People are panicking essentially, trying to determine whether their dog will or will not fit within the restrictions.

"I think there are a lot of people feeling quite unsettled at the moment and we're just trying to do our best to support them."

Under the ban which comes into force in January 2024, it will be illegal to breed, sell, advertise, exchange, gift, rehome or abandon XL bully dogs in England and Wales.

From February 1 2024, it will also be illegal to own an XL bully unless it is on a list of exempted dogs.

Anyone hoping to keep theirs will have until the end of January to register them on the Index of Exempted Dogs.

As well as keeping them muzzled, owners will be required to keep them on a lead in public, as well as have them microchipped and neutered.

Ms Moran added: "The main issue we're dealing with at the moment is the huge amount of confusion from people that own and breed dogs that could potentially fit within the legislation.

"I think the issue at the moment is that there isn't anybody to answer that exact question — does your dog fit within the category?"

The charity is advising people to apply for an exemption certificate as soon as possible.

"The advice that we're giving to everybody at the moment that's worrying is just to apply for that exemption certificate. If you're concerned, get an application in for that exemption certificate and that can always be revoked when it's clearer and we've got more clarification on breed identity," Ms Moran said.