Are 'American Pit Bulls' illegal in the UK?

[Gaptooth]

I recently spoke to a (unregistered non KC breeder) about a toy dog during conversations this breeder said he had 2 of the above dogs in his garden.

Are these dogs illegal?

pretty sure they are

I think that the law that passed a decade or so ago said that they all had to be neutered (and muzzled and on lead in public) and that they could no longer be imported. So unless they are very old, it's difficult to see how he could have them without someone having broken the law. Just owning them isn't illegal , I think, so long as they are kept in accordance with the restrictions.

(I wouldn't have anything to do with a breeder that had them. Sounds dodgy.)

I believe so yes. However he may be liscenced to keep them. Some 'dangerous' dogs are allowed to be kept by responsible owners so long as they are nuetered and the owner abides by specific legislation such as muzzling the dogs in public.

Unless you believe these dogs are of an immediate danger to the public (just because they are pit bulls doesn't mean they are viscous) I wouldn't report him. Many dogs seized by the police are kept in less than perfect standards and often die due to mistreatment/neglect.

That's a good point: he may just have legitimately rehomed the dogs that someone else had illegally brought into being here. And they are entitled to be kept in the best possible conditions by responsible people. Better than a police pound or destruction.

Are they american pittbulls (illegal in the UK) or american bulldogs (completely legal) as there is alot of confusion between the two breeds.

There is a list of banned dogs and these dogs are on it. As far as I'm aware no-one is allowed to own them. MIL is a dog walker at a rescue centre and recently had the police down who removed for destruction two dogs that appeared to be APBTs. A member of the public had reported seeing them at the centre and even though they were actually quite nice dogs, they were taken away and PTS.

They are illegal if they are "true" pit bulls. (there is confusion over this point as they are more of a type rather than a real breed) it is a very unfair law as even a perfectly even tempered dog can be killed just because they are a "pit bull" They can be lovely dogs when they have a good owner, unfortunatly, they attract the wrong owners most of the time.

eyethingy That's interesting to know - I always wondered where the proof would be - DNA test or not?

I'm living in NL and have an American Stafford (cross) - which is apparently the "show" version of the pitbull. I can honestly say that when I adopted her (in Belgium) I had no idea she was "bad", in fact I took her because she was the only dog who didn't lunge at my partner's daughter AND the cat whom we took along in a basket...

Anyway I moved back to NL about 18 months ago and these dogs used to be illegal here - however finally common sense prevailed and it was decided that by making them illegal all it means is that they go underground. The police never confiscate the dog from a bad bastard on the estate the police are too scared to go to - nope, they take dogs from people like me. These days the dogs are not illegal but if there is any trouble whatsoever it will be closely looked at and each dog is assessed on an individual basis.

my neighbour has one off these and its really visious it tries to attack everything it sees. iv got 2 border collies and he has attacked them and a small scottie in building. The dog is used for breeding and aint musled, should i report them?