Owners of XL Bully dogs face having their beloved pets put down if they don't comply with the law from today, police have warned.
The breed is now illegal to own without an exemption certificate in England and Wales, meaning owners could be taken to court and have their pets seized if they are unregistered.
One top police officer has warned that even if the dog is not aggressive, if the court determines the owner isn't ‘fit and responsible' then the animal will be destroyed.
It is believed that there could be as many as 100,000 XL Bullys in the country, but a week before the ban only 30,000 dogs had been registered under the scheme, leaving potentially tens of thousands without certificates.
The ban was brought in after a string of attacks by members of the breed which have killed and seriously injured both humans and other dogs in recent years.
XL Bully dog Theo wearing a muzzle put on him by his owner Kerry Heath, who has hit out at the law change
Dog owner Terry Wigzell with his muzzled XL Bully ‘Duke' on a walk in London before the ban was put in place
It has infuriated lovers of the breed, who have held protests against the law, demanded it be scrapped and even said they would consider leaving the country over it.
Since December 31 it has also been a legal requirement to make sure XL Bullys are microchipped, neutered, and muzzled and kept on a lead in public.
Scotland has announced it will attempt to put a similar ban in place by July 31, while Northern Ireland is also set to make a decision on the breed shortly.
The ban on the breed in England and Wales came into effect today, and police have said they will enforce the law despite complaints from dog lovers.
National Police Chiefs' Council dangerous dogs lead Mark Hobrough has urged members of the public to report any XL bully owners not following the rules so officers can assess the animals.
Seized dogs will be taken to kennels before a court decides if they should either be destroyed or deemed not a danger to public safety.
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.
Stephanie Vine, pictured with her XL Bully Colin and her Jack Russell Bella, says she is considering leaving the country over the ban
Sophie Coulthard pictured with her dog Billy. She said the ban was being based ‘on looks' and not the training that dogs are given
‘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.'
ACC Hobrough said officers, if met with resistance, will take ‘proportionate action with minimum use of force' to seize dogs.
The recent ban may spark higher demand for kennels and cause ‘logistical challenges' for officers, ACC Hobrough said, with police forces ‘actively looking to enhance' the numbers they can hold.
According to the RSPCA, the Government last week said 30,000 dogs had been registered, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has been contacted for an updated figure.
The total number of XL bullies, estimated by animal groups, has ranged between 50,000 and 100,000, the RSPCA added, meaning that before last week there may have been up to 70,000 still unregistered.
It is believed that a further 10,000 of the large bulldog-type American breed could have been registered before the deadline on Wednesday afternoon, but there may still be tens of thousands without certificates.
Dr Samantha Gaines, dog welfare expert at the RSPCA, said there are concerns that owners will have failed to apply for certificates in time or at all.
‘There's been a lot of communication from Defra around the need to ensure that people do go through exemption but I think there will be some individuals that are not aware of the ban, and there are obviously going to be some that just decide not to take their dogs through registration either,' she said.
Dr Gaines said banning the breed ‘is not the answer' and warned of a ‘huge risk' that rescue centres and vets will be unable to cope with a likely surge in demand due to the restrictions.
XL Bully owners are pictured protesting in central London in September last year
People hold placards and signs at a protest against the XL Bully ban in Mancgester
She said: ‘Instead, we want to see the UK Government commit to the enforcement and improvement of current breeding and dog control regulations, and to promoting responsible dog ownership and training.
‘Improving the way dogs are bred, controlled and treated throughout their lives is key to preventing dog bite incidents.'
Furious owners have hit out at the ban, which they say unfairly targets the breed because of the way it looks, instead of dealing with bad owners.
A vigil had been planned to take place outside Downing Street in protest at the new law on Wednesday night, but there was no sign of the protesters last night.
Kerry Heath, a 37-year-old childminder from Sheffield, said she has done ‘everything we can' to ensure she can keep her XL bully Theo, who lives ‘happily' alongside her four cats and two smaller dogs.
‘He is the most gentle giant you will ever meet,' Ms Heath said.
‘I'm a childminder and all the children absolutely love him, the parents love him, they're always asking to stroke him.
‘We're complying with all the restrictions and we've done everything we can to ensure we can keep him because he's part of the family.'
The mother-of-four said the attitude around her XL bully dog has changed as new restrictions have been put in place, including wearing a muzzle and being kept on a lead.
She said prior to her dog wearing a muzzle, passers-by would stop to stroke him and say ‘how beautiful he was' – and on December 31, when wearing a muzzle became a legal requirement for the breed, ‘people avoided him'.
‘They crossed the road, they pulled children away,' she said.
‘It makes me feel so sad because he was so loved by other people before.'
Ms Heath added that the ban is ‘devastating' for owners who may not be able to afford the exemption certificate or who missed the deadline.
‘There's loads (of dogs) in rescue centres that aren't going to get a home now because it's against the law,' she said.
‘I know there have been some horrendous attacks but I think this breed of dog can be just as loyal as any other dog if they're brought up in the right way and trained from being a pup, as we've done with Theo.'
Charl, pictured with her XL Bully called Thor, who she says has a ‘beautiful temperament'
Kerry Heath says her XL Bully called Theo is not aggressive and is ‘part of the family'
XL bully owner Charl, 30, who did not wish to share her surname, said that the new legislation to ban the dogs without an exemption has ‘affected me massively'.
The home carer has applied for exemptions for her two-year-old male XL bully named Thor with a ‘beautiful temperament' and for a female XL bully puppy named Lily that she is adopting, she said.
‘Everybody that knows [Thor] loves him,' she said.
‘Obviously, he's intimidating-looking so other people are weird about him, but anyone that knows him and has met him absolutely adores him.
‘It's been so difficult because people were funny about him before the ban, but now people are crossing the street, they're dragging their dogs away from him and it's just not needed because he's friendly.'
She decided to adopt another XL bully ‘because I know that so many dogs are going get killed and so many people have given them up', she said.
‘Lily was already born before the ban and she can't leave her mother until she's eight weeks old so I paid for her and exempted her before the ban.'
She added: ‘I wouldn't agree with any dog being banned because I genuinely believe that no dog is bad.
‘It's not the dogs, it's the people that are owning them and doing whatever they are doing to the dogs.'
Steph Vine, whose XL Bully Colin suffers with epilepsy, fears her dog may be taken from her and put down within a matter of months – and is even seriously considering moving abroad to protect him.
The Government has insisted a ban is necessary because XL Bullys are ‘disproportionately involved' in serious and fatal dog attacks.
Multiple people have been killed by members of the breed, including Ian Price who was attacked by two suspected American bullies last year, 10-year-old Jack Lis who was mauled to death in 2021 and toddler Bella-Rae Birch who was savagely assaulted by her family's pet XL Bully in March the same year.
Muzzled XL Bully dog Duke is taken for a walk by his owner Terry Wigzell ahead of his application for an exemption in January
An XL Bully owner wears a muzzle in solidarity with his pet dog after laws were brought in place making it a legal requirement for members of the breed to have them in public
Just before Christmas one attack by an XL Bully left a 77-year-old woman in hospital with horrific bite wounds to her arm and a fractured knee.
Isobel Boyd was mauled by the animal in Tullibody near Alloa in Scotland just days before Christmas, with the dog pinning her against a wall.
She told STV News the dog ‘grabbed my arm and burled me right around' as she walked past its owner in the street.
‘There was a wall at a house and I managed to hold onto it but the dog wouldn't let go,' she said.
‘I started to scream and I couldn't hold it any longer. It pulled me and got me down and it shook me. It got me half on the pavement and half on the road.'
During the attack people ran to her aid, including one man who hit the animal over the head with his skateboard.
‘The next minute neighbours from up the street came round and they were pulling at me and I kept screaming, ‘my arm my arm', she said.
She added ‘It was like a horror. I had to let it keep my arm because if it got to my throat I'd be a goner… I don't think I'm over the shock of it.'
Despite the attack she said she isn't ‘100 per cent sure' if banning the breed is the right thing to do.
Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said: ‘The ban on XL bullies is now in place meaning it is illegal to own one of these dogs unless it has been registered.
‘We have delivered our pledge to bring in this important measure to protect public safety, and we expect all XL bully owners to comply with the strict conditions.'
When the ban was announced the government launched a compensation scheme for owners to have their dogs put down, with more than 150 claims received.
Billy, an XL Bully whose owner has applied for an exemption for him
A Dog Control Coalition spokesperson said: ‘We are concerned about the rise in dog-related incidents and steps must be taken to protect the public, but we do not believe that banning any type or breed of dog will stop these types of incidents from occurring.
‘A complete overhaul of the existing dog control legislation is the only way to tackle the root causes of the tragic incidents we have seen in recent years.
‘The Government must urgently take steps to deal with the unscrupulous breeders who are putting profit before welfare, and the irresponsible owners whose dogs are dangerously out of control.'
The Association of Dogs and Cats Homes (ADCH) also warned of increased abandonment rates and said the new rules may lead to a ‘postcode lottery' for vets being able to help owners meet the terms.
Figures show between 2001 and 2021 there were three fatal dog attacks a year, compared with 23 over the two-year period after that, with XL bullies said to be behind many of them.
The breed was added to the Dangerous Dogs Act on October 31 last year.
Restrictions then came into force dictating the dogs must be kept on a lead and muzzled in public.
Breeding, selling or abandoning the dogs also became illegal as of December 31 2023.
Safeguards on owning an XL bully dog in Scotland will come into force from February 23, subject to parliamentary approval, the Scottish Government has confirmed.
The measures, replicated from the UK Government, will require the dogs to be muzzled and kept on a lead in public.
It will also make it an offence to sell, abandon, give away or breed XL bully dogs in Scotland.
Phase two, which will make it an offence to own an XL bully without an exemption, will be enforced from July 31.
Community safety minister Siobhian Brown said: ‘The vast majority of dog owners are responsible animal lovers and we know owning a dog brings with it important responsibilities.
‘I would encourage owners to make themselves aware of the new laws and get ready for them.'
A decision on whether to add to the list of banned breeds in Northern Ireland would be for locally elected ministers.
People with dangerously out of control dogs can be jailed for up to 14 years and banned from owning animals, and their pets can be put down.
Injuries and deaths after attacks by XL bully-type dogs
Jonathan Halstead, 35
Jonathan Halstead, 35 – January 29, 2020
Jonathan died from a severe neck injury and bites after being attacked in his home in Oldham, Greater Manchester by his pet Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bronson.
It is believed the dog attacked him when its owner suffered an epileptic fit.
Jack Lis, 10
Jack Lis, 10 – November 8, 2021
Schoolboy Jack Lis, ten, suffered catastrophic injuries after being mauled by an American XL bully dog called Beast while visiting a friend's home in Penyrheol in Caerphilly, Wales on November 8, 2021.
Neighbours and Welsh Ambulance Service paramedics desperately tried to save him but he died at the scene. Armed police destroyed the dog on site.
Adam Watts, 55
Adam Watts, 55 – December 22, 2021
Adam Watts, 55, was attacked at the Juniper Kennels and Cattery in Kirkton of Auchterhouse, near Dundee, and was pronounced dead at the scene on December 22, 2021.
MARCH 21, 2022: Undated family handout photo issued by Merseyside Police of Bella-Rae Birch
Bella-Rae Birch, 17 months – March 21, 2022
Toddler Bella-Rae Birch was attacked by her family's pet American bully XL dog when she was just 17 months old.
The vicious dog snatched the child out of her mother's arms while they were at their home in Blackbrook, St Helens, Merseyside, on March 21 last year.
Keven Jones, 62
Keven Jones, 62 – May 28, 2022
Keven Jones died after he was attacked by an American Bully XL dog in Wrexham, Wales on May 28 last year.
Ambulance workers attempted to save him but they were unable to stop his left leg bleeding.
Mr Jones was then pronounced dead at his son's house following the attack.
Joanne Robinson, 43
Joanne Robinson, 43 – July 15, 2022
Mother-of-two Joanne Robinson, 43, was killed by her American bully XL dog, Rocco, after it ‘turned mad in the extreme heat' in July last year.
She died at the scene of the attack at home in Rotherham, South Yorkshire while her partner, Jamie Stead, was left with injuries to his hands, stomach and face as he tried to pull the animal off her.
Joanne's mother Dot, of Wath-upon-Dearne, South Yorkshire, revealed at the time that Rocco had previously fought with their other dog Lola – and she had warned her daughter to ‘get rid of one of them'.
Ian ‘Wiggy' Symes, 34
Ian Symes, 34 – August 2022
Ian ‘Wiggy' Symes, 34, who is understood to have been walking a bully XL dog himself at a recreation ground in Fareham, Hampshire, died at the scene following a horrific dog attack in August 2022.
His devastated family said he was ‘doing something he loved' when he died in the field in Fareham, Hampshire.
Ann Dunn, 65
Ann Dunn, 65 – October 3, 2022
Ann Dunn, 65, was found collapsed with ‘catastrophic injuries' at her Liverpool home she shared with seven dogs on October 3 last year.
She was mauled to death by dogs including an American bully XL – and had been sent to hospital a year before her death because she had been bitten by a dog.
Shirley Patrick, 83
Shirley Patrick, 83 – December 3, 2022
Widowed grandmother Shirley Patrick, 83, died after being viciously mauled by an XL bully in her own home.
The retired nurse died in hospital 17 days after suffering ‘life-threatening injuries' during the ‘hellish' and ‘violent' dog attack in Caerphilly, South Wales on December 3 last year.
Jonathan Hogg, 37
Jonathan Hogg, 37 – May 18, 2023
Jonathan Hogg, 37, was mauled to death by an American XL bully dog when it turned on him while he was looking after it for a friend.
He entered the pen when it went for him, leaving bite wounds on his arm, leg and head, an inquest heard.
He was rushed to hospital but died of his injuries after the mauling in Leigh, Greater Manchester, on May 18 this year.
Ian Price, 52
Ian Price, 52 – September 14, 2023
On Thursday, September 14, ‘pillar of the community' Ian Price, 52, was attacked and killed by two ‘devil' XL bully dogs after they jumped out of his neighbour's window in Stonnall, Staffordshire.
Mr Price was attacked and killed by the two dogs which jumped out of a neighbour's window yards from a primary school. He reportedly died defending his elderly mother from the animals.
The dogs bit him and ripped the clothes from his body leaving him dying in a pool of blood in his boxer shorts in the horror attack just feet from his home.
Ian Langley, 54
Ian Langley, 54 – October 3, 2023
Ian Langley, 54, was set upon on the estate in Sunderland on October 3 this year by an enormous XL bully dog which grabbed him by the neck as he bent down to pick up his Patterdale terrier pup.
The attack left Mr Langley needing CPR for around 15 minutes as emergency services fought to stop heavy bleeding from his wounds. He died from his injuries.
