Dear Constituent,

Thank you for your correspondence regarding American XL Bully dogs.

Fatal and serious dog attacks have risen sharply this year and the American XL Bully has been disproportionately involved in this rise. I am entirely in favour of the Government’s announced ban. It is right that decisive action is taken to prevent these dogs from causing further harm.

Banning these dogs has been under consideration for some time, but this has been complicated by the fact that the XL Bully is not formally recognised as a breed in the UK. For this reason, the Environment Secretary and the Home Secretary will now urgently convene experts to define the American XL Bully breed type, including police, canine and veterinary experts, and animal welfare stakeholders. The Government will then legislate to add the XL Bully to the list of breeds banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. These changes are expected to be in place by the end of this year.

An amnesty period will be introduced, and owners who come forward to register their XL Bully during this period will be able to keep their dog until the end of its life, provided they meet conditions such as neutering the dog and keeping it on a lead and muzzle in public. Any XL Bully owner who does not come forward to register during the amnesty period will be committing a criminal offence if they are subsequently found to be keeping an unregistered dog.

In the meantime, I know that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will continue to work with the police, local authorities and animal welfare groups to help prevent future attacks by encouraging responsible dog ownership and to make sure the full force of the law is applied.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Yours,

EDWARD LEIGH MP