Thousands of dogs from banned breed list still living at home with their owners

27 October 2023 , 05:27

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Pit bulls have been banned in the UK since 1991 (stock image) (Image: Getty Images)

Government data reveals that over 3,000 banned dogs are living in homes across England, Scotland and Wales.

The BBC obtained this information from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) through a Freedom of Information request. Most of these dogs are pit bull terriers, with 149 banned dogs in Wales and 13 in Scotland. Currently, four dog breeds are on the Dangerous Dogs Act banned list in the UK, according to Defra. These include the pit bull terrier, the Japanese tosa, the dogo argentino and the fila brasileiro.

Owners can keep these breeds only if they are placed on the index of exempt dogs, which is granted if the court believes the dog is not a danger to the public. Last month, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that American XL bully dogs would be added to the Dangerous Dogs Act list by the end of the year, labelling the breed a "danger to our communities".

This decision followed several attacks involving the breed. A woman was injured after being attacked by her own American XL bully in Norfolk earlier this month. In September, Ian Price died in hospital after being attacked by two American XL bullies. In November last year, 10-year-old Jack Lis was killed by an American XL bully at a friend's house in South Wales. The dog's owners, Amy Salter and Brandon Haydon, were subsequently jailed.

Environment Secretary Therese Coffey revealed this week that the UK Government is "pretty close" to proposing a ban on the breed. She said a "good definition" of the dog type had been agreed, with only a "few other things" such as compensation needing to be signed-off. The UK Government estimates there are about 10,000 American XL bullies in the UK, while the Blue Cross animal charity suggests it's more like 15,000.

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Cormac Pearson