DANGEROUS XL Bully dogs are banned as of today with police warning the hounds could be destroyed and their owners thrown behind bars.
Yesterday was the final day the beasts could be registered, with the owners and their dogs now facing strict punishments without a certificate.
GettyXL Bully dogs are illegal from today following a spate of horror attacks[/caption]
PABella-Rae Birch, 17 months, was the youngest victim of an attack by a hound[/caption]
PATen-year-old Jack Lis was also fatally mauled by one of the beasts[/caption]
Jack’s mum Emma Whitfield sat down for an exclusive Sun interview with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
Tim StewartIn January last year, Natasha Johnston was killed by an XL Bully[/caption]
The Government said it believes there have been 11 deaths linked to XL Bullies in the last three years, but even more horror attacks.
The mother of one of those victims, schoolboy Jack Lis, sat down with the Prime Minister for an interview, exclusively shared by The Sun.
Emma Whitfield opened up about the tragic day her son died at his friend’s house.
The mum, who has long campaigned for a ban on the killer hounds, said: “I didn’t know what an XL Bully was until this happened, I didn’t have a clue they existed until this happened.
“I didn’t really think the outcome was going to be what it was when I was told he’d been attacked by a dog – I didn’t realise that kind of thing happened.
“You don’t think something like that’s going to happen to you.”The Sun has named and pictured 10 of those tragic victims below – including a 17-month-old baby.
The selling, rehoming and breeding of the ferocious hounds became illegal on December 31 amid a massive crackdown by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
As of today it is illegal to own an unregistered XL Bully hound and owners had until yesterday to get insurance, microchip their dog and pay a £92.40 application fee per animal.
However, even if the beast is registered owners must prove the dog is neutered by June 30 – or the end of 2024 if it’s a puppy – to meet the rules.
Owners also had until yesterday to destroy their dog and to be in line to claim £200 compensation.
The RSPCA this week said it is thought that 30,000 of the beasts in the UK were still without a certificate.
Fatal XL Bully attacks
Ian “Scouse” Langley, 54, was protecting his puppy when the animal pounced on him outside a home in Sunderland in October 2023.
Ian Price, 52, was viciously savaged in September 2023 by the beasts as he tried to protect his elderly mum from them after they escaped.
Jonathan Hogg, 37, was killed in May 2023 entered the dog’s pen when it went for him, leaving bite wounds on his arm, leg and head.
Natasha Johnston, 28, was mauled to death while walking a pack of dogs in January 2023 was believed to have been killed by her own pet – an American Bully XL.
Shirley Patrick, 83, died 17 days after being mauled in a “hellish”, violent dog attack in December 2022.
Ian Symes, 34, who was known to friends as “Wiggy”, died at a recreation ground in Fareham, Hampshire, after the savage attack in August 2022.
Joanne Robinson, 43, was fatally mauled by pet Rocco at her home in Rotherham, South Yorkshire in July 2022.
Keven Jones, 62, went into cardiac arrest after being bitten by Cookie-Doe at Chanel Fong’s home in Wrexham, North Wales in May 2022.
Bella-Rae Birch, one, was mauled to death in March 2022 at her home by the American Bully XL.
Jack Lis, 10, was killed by a hulking XL Bully dog named Beast in November 2021 as he played at friend’s home in Caerphilly.
It’s thought between 50,000 and 100,000 of the hounds live across the country.
Latest figures show more than 35,000 XL Bully dogs have been registered.
All XL Bullies out in the public must be in a muzzle and on a lead.
While the ban only covers England and Wales, it was last month revealed Scotland would also follow suit.
Meanwhile, some owners and breeders had already flouted the rules.
As the first phase of the ban started on December 31, dog-selling sites were still filled with dozens of listings for XL Bully hounds.
Elsewhere, on the likes of TikTok, owners were illegally trying to sell puppies by sharing videos of them with the caption “for sale” and “going cheap”.
Dangerous Dogs Act explained
After eleven horrific attacks in 1991, Home Secretary Kenneth Baker promised “to rid the country of the menace of these fighting dogs” by introducing the Dangerous Dogs Act.
The law is often considered controversial as it focuses on a dog’s breed or looks instead of an individual dog’s behaviour, and fails to stem the rise of dog attacks.
According to the RSPCA, over a third of the people killed by dogs since the act was brought in were attacked by legal breeds.
In days leading up to the ban breeders had been working to get rid of the mutts ahead of the deadline, scattering online adverts with words like “now reduced” and “price drop”.
Speaking to today’s ban, National Police Chiefs’ Council dangerous dogs lead Mark Hobrough warned consequences would be harsh for those who broke the rules.
People with dangerously out-of-control dogs can be jailed for up to 14 years, while their pets could be put down.
Assistant Chief Constable Hobrough said: “I would urge everybody to comply with the law and the legislation. If people haven’t put their dog on the database already they are committing an absolute offence.
“We are as police forces going to be enforcing the law.
“We didn’t create the law but we do enforce the law and we will have to execute warrants and seize dogs and take action towards such dog owners.
“I would encourage strongly people to be compliant if that were the situation with their own dogs because one of the very tests that is made about a dog or an owner (in court) is that the dog is not aggressive, but also that the owner is fit and responsible and not aggressive also.
“So if either of those things were not complied with, then there would be no option for a court then but to destroy the dog.”
SWNSIan Price was killed in September last year[/caption]
EnterpriseDad Jonathan Hogg was also mauled to death by one of the beasts in May last year[/caption]
FacebookIan Langley was killed by one of the hounds in October last year[/caption]
Ian Symes died after he was Mauled in August 2022Solent
SuppliedGreat-great gran Shirley Patrick, 83, died in hospital two weeks after being attacked by an XL Bully cross in December 2022[/caption]
WNSKeven Jones was mauled in May 2022[/caption]
Are XL bullies illegal in the UK?
Yes, the American Bully XL is banned in the UK.
It came after then Home Secretary Suella Braverman revealed last year she wanted to outlaw the breed.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a video posted on X, formally known as Twitter: “These dogs are dangerous and I want to reassure the public we will take all the necessary steps to keep them safe.”
Changes in the law is being phased in over several months and will make it illegal to breed, sell, advertise, exchange, gift, rehome, abandon or allow XL bully dogs to stray in England and Wales.
Under the laws which were laid in Parliament on October 31, it will also be illegal to own an XL Bully from today unless it is on a list of exempted dogs.
The new guidance does not apply to Northern Ireland or Scotland.
Since 2021, the breed has been responsible for more than 70 per cent of all dog-related deaths in the UK.
Braverman commissioned urgent advice on the breed following another attack on a child that happened on September 9, 2023.
Writing on social media following the incident, Braverman said: “This is appalling. This is a clear and lethal danger to our communities, particularly to children. We can’t go on like this.
“I have commissioned urgent advice on banning them.”
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