Dog owners gathered for a walk along Margate prom today (December 30) ahead of tomorrow’s second stage of rules related to XL Bully’s being added to the list of dogs banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.
Paws4Play Thanet organised the walk which was aimed at coinciding with the last day the dogs could be out without a muzzle – those already exempted were required under the rules to be muzzled.
Around 30 dogs were brought to the walk, all on leads, with people coming from across Kent and participants from Camber Sands and London.
Laura Sullivan, who joined the walk, said all dogs were well-behaved and added that the walk highlighted how many different types of dogs fell under the new rules.
The XL Bully ownership rules come into force in three stages. The announcement for the first stage occurred on 31 October 2023, and the second and third stages take effect on 31 December 2023 and 1 February 2024.
The UK Government has put together official guidance to help define what an XL Bully dog is, which involves checking the dog’s physical characteristics to determine if they fit the type.
Some of the characteristics mentioned include but are not limited to:
A large dog with a muscular body and blocky head.
Height of males from 20in (51cm) and height of females from 19in (48cm).
Heavily muscled body with a broad, deep chest with well-sprung ribs.
For the full list of characteristics, read the UK Government’s official guidance here.
Following the ban announcement on October 31, applications for exemption certificates for XL Bully owners began. Owners have until 31 January 2024 to apply for a Certificate of Exemption to be registered on the Index of Exempted Dogs.
From tomorrow, breeding, selling, advertising, rehoming, abandoning and allowing an American Bully XL dog to stray will be illegal. From this date, the dogs must be kept on a lead and muzzled in public.
From 1 February 2024, it will then become illegal to own an American Bully XL dog if it is not registered on the Index of Exempted Dogs.
Find out how to apply for a Certificate of Exemption on Defra’s website.
There are now five dog types banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, which include Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and XL Bully.
The PDSA (People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals) says: “PDSA’s position on the Dangerous Dogs Act remains unchanged – breed specific legislation is ineffective because it has not resulted in a reduction of dog bites or human deaths.
“Whilst we agree urgent action is needed to protect the public from dangerous dogs, we’re disappointed the Government are pushing ahead with breed specific legislation.
“We’d like to see the Government focus on much needed extensive reform of the Dangerous Dogs Act, as we do not believe that adding ‘XL Bully’ dogs to the list of banned breeds will be an effective way of protecting the public.”
Information source PDSA and Dogs Trust
