After a string of assaults, Rishi Sunak has declared that the American XL bully dog breed will be outlawed by the end of the year.
The first breed to be outlawed since 1991, the year the Dangerous Dogs Act was adopted, the prime minister claimed he had requested ministers to describe the species "with a view to outlawing it" after consulting with specialists and the police.
"The American XL bully dog is a danger to our communities, particularly our children," he declared. "I'm as horrified as the rest of the country by the most recent videos we've all seen. Yesterday, we witnessed another alleged XL bully dog attack that regrettably resulted in a death.
Since there is now no legal definition for this breed, a quick initial step is necessary. It is obvious that this is a pattern of behavior that cannot continue, not just a few poorly behaved pets.
Ian Price, 52, was confirmed dead on Friday after being mauled by two dogs in Stonnall, West Midlands. According to police, they think the dogs, who were both put to death, were XL bully dogs.
This week, footage of an XL bully dog attacking Birmingham residents on the street, including an 11-year-old child who had damage to her shoulder and arm, sparked outrage.
By the end of the year, new rules would be in place, according to Sunak, and the breed would be prohibited under the Dangerous Dogs Act. These canines pose a threat. I want to reassure everyone that we will do everything possible to keep people safe.
The American pitbull terrier, one of the four breeds that were outlawed when the Dangerous Dogs Act was passed, is considered to have been developed into the XL bully, the largest variation of the American bully breed, which is thought to have been imported to the UK in or around 2014.
The Home Office and the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs will apply the ban together; Sunak's official spokeswoman denied that there had been any delay.
Clearly, this type of dog isn't specifically mentioned in the law, so it's appropriate to think carefully about how to stop the horrific attacks we're witnessing, he added. "That work has been completed, and we have today confirmed the position."
The RSPCA, Battersea, Blue Cross, the Dogs Trust, the British Veterinary Association, the Scottish SPCA, the Kennel Club, and Hope Rescue are members of the Dog Control Coalition, which opposes a breed ban and expressed "deep concern about the lack of data behind this decision."
"The recent incidents are deeply distressing, and our thoughts are with all those involved and affected," they stated in a statement. But regrettably, outlawing the breed won't stop this kind of thing from happening again. The Dangerous Dogs Act has focused on prohibiting specific breeds of dog for 32 years, but this focus has corresponded with a rise in dog bites, and the latest deaths demonstrate that this strategy is failing.
The UK government needs to deal with the dishonest breeders who prioritize profit over animal welfare and the careless owners whose dogs are dangerously out of control in order to address the source of the problem.
Due to the American XL bully breed's similarity to other breeds and lack of official recognition by the Royal Kennel Club, there have also been worries voiced about how difficult it would be to outlaw it.
A criminal defense attorney named Rhianna Tsiattalou warned that "a ban on these dogs could unintentionally lead to other dog breeds being included under the same category and subsequently banned in the UK." "It would be difficult to enforce a ban in every instance because these dogs are cross-bred," the statement reads.
Boris Johnson hinted that he did not support the ban in a video that the Daily Mail posted.
Bully Watch, the Campaign for Evidence Based Regulation of Dangerous Dogs, and Protect Our Pets, three organizations who advocated for the ban of XL bully dogs, claimed that the restriction was "key to protecting the health of both humans and dogs."
"Our research demonstrates these dogs are a clear and present threat to public health, and are significantly more dangerous than other dogs," the researchers said. "They have caused the majority of human deaths and the death or maiming of countless loved pets as they have increased in popularity in the last three years."