Police destroy 100 dogs a month after XL Bully ban

The BBC has learned that police have destroyed an average of more than three dangerous dogs a day since XL Bullies were banned almost a year ago.

Forces in England and Wales say the cost of housing thousands of seized dogs for several months has risen sixfold to £25 million a year and many facilities were at capacity.

But in many areas there is no sign of dog attacks declining. Of the 25 police forces that responded to BBC Freedom of Information Act requests, 22 said they were set to see more under-reported incidents this year.

Lisa Willis, who was killed by an XL hooligan a few months after the ban, said the attack felt like a “horror movie” and that the law was “useless”.

He said owners of dogs like the one that attacked his arm should be banned from purchasing the animal in future. However, in her case, the owner had her dog replaced “within a matter of weeks.”

New laws restricting the breeding and sale of XL Bullies came into force on December 31 last year following a series of high-profile attacks, some of which were fatal. In February, it became illegal to own this type of dog unless it was registered before the deadline.

There are five types of dogs now banned in the UK – the XL Bully, the Pit Bull Terrier, the Japanese Tosa, the Doga Argentino and the Fila Brazileiro. Dogs registered before the ban must be neutered, muzzled in public and kept in safe conditions.

When the law was introduced, the UK Government suggested there were around 10,000 XL Bully dogs in England and Wales, but this was a very low estimate – there are now over 57,000 dogs registered with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. (Defra).

Freedom of Information Act responses from 19 police forces in England and Wales reveal that in the first eight months of 2024:

• 1,991 suspected banned dogs seized, up 283 from all of 2023
• 818 dogs were destroyed, more than double the number in 2023

Some seized dogs remain in police kennels for months while their breed or type is confirmed, with more than half of the forces providing feedback about their kennels saying they were full or close to capacity.

Chief Constable Mark Hobrow, head of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) for Dangerous Dogs, said the change in law had placed significant pressure on police forces and added an “incredible” extra cost for them to bear.

The cost of kennels and veterinary bills had increased from £4m to £25m, but this did not include the additional costs of training staff, purchasing additional vehicles and equipment, short-term kennel hire and the extensive operating costs of monitoring the more dangerous dogs. More than ever, he said.

He said the NPCC is making “a strong request” for more government funding to meet the requirements of the XL bully ban.

The chiefs of 43 police forces in England and Wales also want changes to the law to give officers alternative ways of dealing with people found in possession of dangerous dogs.

Part of what makes the ban difficult to police is that detecting whether a dog is an XL Bully can require specialist training and sometimes outside expertise, which means keeping dogs in kennels for longer periods of time. .

The government published guidance to help identify XL Bullies, which are defined as a “type” of dog as they are not a Kennel Club-recognised breed. They have been described as large dogs “with a muscular body and blocky head, suggesting great strength and power for (their) size”.

Expert assessors told us that up to a third of dogs registered with Defra may not be XL Bullies, but there is no guidance yet on how to remove them from the register.

Police chiefs want to see changes that will allow them to caution responsible owners who may have unknowingly bought an XL Bully, while still having strong powers to crack down on illegal breeders and persistent offenders.

Defra said the XL Bully ban was “an important measure to protect public safety” and that it would continue to work with police, local authorities and animal welfare groups to prevent dog attacks “to the full extent of the law where needed.” By using strength”.

In Lisa’s case, she was on a walk with her terrier Duke in June when she was attacked by a French bulldog. Moments later an XL Hooligan-type dog came out of the garden, crossed the road and attacked Lisa.

“I just thought it was going to kill me,” she said. “It was so powerful, it was literally hanging from my arm and no matter what, I couldn’t take it off.”

Bystanders heard her screams and helped her away from the dog, but she said her hand was “mutilated.” She feared she would bleed to death and asked her rescuers to call her husband “so I can say goodbye”.

Lisa, who Contact us about your story via Your Voice, Your BBC NewsWas taken to hospital. The animal that attacked him was captured by police and destroyed the same day – a normal procedure when a dog is involved in a serious incident.

She is being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and says she feels “powerless” to prevent something like this from happening again.

“I need to make sure that these people face consequences for their actions because if this continues, someone else will be killed, someone else will be attacked,” he said.

Additional reporting by Jonathan Fagg and Emily Doughty