There has been a string of recent dog attacks across the UK which has now sounded the alarm for government officials to take action.
Calls to ban the breed have intensified with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arguing that American XL bully dogs are a “danger to our communities”.
In early September, a 60-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a dog dangerously out of control after two men and an 11-year-old girl were injured by an XL bully crossbreed which was out of control in Birmingham.
In the video footage, the girl can be heard screaming as people gathered around to try to help her.
The dog is then seen sprinting away and it eventually pounces at a man on the forecourt of a Texaco petrol station on Churchill Road.
In a more recent attack, Northumbria Police said it received a report of a man being attacked by an XL Bully. The man in his 50s was later taken to hospital due to serious injuries and was pronounced dead on Tuesday night.
Demonstrations have taken place by XL bully owners to protest against the ban.
Speaking to BBC Radio West Midlands last month, Mr Sunak was asked if the planned ban would be enough to stop more people being harmed.
“These American XL bully dogs are a danger to our communities and we are urgently working on ways to stop these attacks and to protect the public, not just in the West Midlands but across the country,” Mr Sunak said.
“Last week ministers brought together police and the experts… to define the breed of the dog, and then once we have defined the breed of the dog we will be able to ban the breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
“Those new laws will be in place by the end of the year. Exactly how that transition works, which you spoke to, is something that is being worked on between the police and the experts as I mentioned.
“But what is clear is these dogs are a danger to our communities and we are taking action to try and stop these attacks and protect the public,” he added.
Which dog breeds are banned in the UK?
According to the official government website, in the UK it is against the law to own certain types of dogs – these dogs are:
Pit Bull Terrier: This breed, also known as an “American Pit Bull Terrier” or just “Pit Bull” is a fighting dog which was first developed in the 19th century in England, Scotland and Ireland from a bulldog and a terrier.
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It is specifically known for hunting, capturing, and restraining semi-feral livestock, Britannica says.
Although this breed was bred and trained to be aggressive against other dogs, aggression against humans was not encouraged. This was because the animals had to be handled by their trainers.
The dogs that showed signs of aggression towards humans were not selected for breeding.
However, over recent years there has been a resurgence of dogfighting which is now illegal in the UK, the US and many other countries. This has led to “irresponsible breeders” Britannica says, which encourages certain traits in the animals as well as mistreating them to spark a vicious temperament.
After an increased number of fatal attacks in England and Wales by Pit Bulls on humans between 1981 and 1991 – the UK government decided to take action and ban the breed in 1991 under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
Size: Medium-sized dogs, with males weighing around 13 to 36 kilogrammes.
Height: 19 inches.
Japanese Tosa: The Japanese Tosa, also called the Japanese Mastiff, is a breed of fighting dog that was created in Japan in the mid-nineteenth century.
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“Outside Japan, the Tosa was crossbred with large and giant breeds, including the Great Dane and Mastiff, to produce very large individuals, while those bred in Japan remain truer to the original type, at around half the size,” Dog Zone.com says.
The breed is considered “dangerous” in the UK and controlled very strictly in Ireland.
If the dog is not trained and socialised properly, it can be aggressive towards strangers and it is not recommended for families with children and other pets.
The Japanese Tosa was also banned in 1991 under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
Size: The breed generally weighs between 36 to 61 kg.
Height: 24 to 32 inches.
Dogo Argentino: A breed of a “working dog” which was developed in Argentina in the 1920s as a pack-hunting and big-game hunter – these are dogs that are known to hunt bigger animals.
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The breed was created by two brothers, the Argentinian physicians Antonio and Agustín Nores Martinez. They decided to mix the nearly extinct Viejo Perro de Pelea Cordobés which was an old fighting dog of Cordoba, with several other breeds.
Due to it being a potentially dangerous breed, this animal has also been banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
Size: Weighs between 36 to 45kg.
Height: 24 to 27 inches.
Fila Brasileiro: This breed was developed in Brazil many centuries ago as a large game-hunting dog and a working dog.
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The Fila Brasileiro is also known as the Brazilian Mastiff, Brazilian Bloodhound, Cao de Brasil, Cao de Fila, and the Fila.
The word “filar” in Portuguese means to “hold, arrest, grab,” – which is why it has been named such – given that the breed is known to be instinctively protective, extremely wary of strangers and incredibly agile when protecting its master.
This animal is banned or restricted in a number of countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, and others.
Size: Weighs between 40 to 81 kg.
Height: 25 to 30 inches.
