Legislation on XL Bullies Type is out

[IngGenius]

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/xl-bully-type-dogs-to-be-banned?fbclid=IwAR1wWFAhoitKkoTX7ZTel5BbssboYhY_uyWTuCH27px35igOHQYp1W7AEL0

A kneejerk, vote appealing (!) decision which will do little to address the problem of owners and breeders who are in it for the wrong reasons.

BSL has worked so well up to now, clearly.

I don't really agree with the underlying concept (that you can tell which dogs are most aggressive by their measurements)

But it's what we've got, so owners will have to make the best of it (for responsible owners, the only real difference will be the need for the dog to wear a muzzle, plus to do the one-off exemption paperwork)

What I can't see in this is what happens when an owner dies - eg can the exemption pass from the deceased to widow or other adult cohabitant?

Crack down on breeding of dogs. Make it illegal to breed ANY dogs without licence.

Agree something had to be done but this isn't going to stop the problem dogs already in peoples home attacking someone behind closed doors. The problem is badly bred, badly socialised and badly treated dogs. Combine that with a breed with a higher kill instinct and a powerful jaw and you have the perfect storm.

Breeders churning out dozens of puppies per year of any breed need to be stopped. Nowhere near enough is done to stop the greed and subsequent neglect and impact on rescue shelters.

A fairly recent documentary talked about how drug dealers have turned towards dog breeding as it's just as lucrative, if not more, but very little risk in way of repercussions in comparison. This mentality is what needs to be dealt with.

Good. About bloody time

Breeding in this country (and probably others) is a mess. I saw that first hand when trying to find a puppy that had been bred responsibly. I was stunned with some of the things I saw dressed up as good breeding practices.

Absolutely regulate breeding of ALL dogs. Every single one. Like regulating trainers which good trainers are calling for the good breeders will welcome this.

I don't like these dogs - although I largely blame the type of owner for much aggression rather than the "breed" (it's questionable it's a breed), but I agree that it is a dubious piece of legislation that will probably achieve nothing.

But I am fascinated at how very quickly a "clear vote winner" idea can be introduced when it takes so very long / is nearly impossible to introduce important legislation on other issues. Shame that Rishi hasn't realised that by the time the election arrives nobody will care about this legislation, but they will care about the other issues he's ignoring, like poverty, housing, the environment, cost of living.... Too busy holding summits on AI as if anyone gives a shit what the UK government thinks about the issue.

Tend to agree, Neriah. Results the same though, whatever the reason. So I support the ban.
Damned shame some owners can’t be leashed and muzzled, though.

I have such mixed feelings about this because yes, these dogs seem to be dangerous, but I'm not convinced this legislation will work because responsible owners will train them, muzzle them and keep them on a leash while out, but suspect many of the owners that this particular breed appeals to won't bother.

Ultimately, I agree with PPs who said there needs to be a total crackdown on backyard breeders, and also would like to see a ban on sale and exchange of dogs on social media/gumtree.

It’s a start.

The number of impractical breeds kept in small modern houses is ridiculous.

I think we should probably introduce more licensing type systems, whether for particular breeds or dogs over a certain weight.

There shouldn’t be Akitas and Mastiffs in modern town houses with tiny gardens.

Not really much though considering the paperwork only covers England and Wales . People from other parts of UK do holiday in England and Wales and breeding will still occur in Scotland and NI soo 🤷🏻‍♀️.

I fully support the legislation. Responsible owners will make the best of it. Some will also choose to have their XLs euthanised, with financial help available with that.

I agree that it won't solve the problem of this type overnight. They will remain in homes unmuzzled where family members and visitors will remain at risk, accidentally or negligently escape putting the public and pets at risk, and the wrong sort of owners will continue to behave irresponsibly and dangerously with them. Over time however, as breeding is banned, there will be less of the XL type around and available, and so the problem will at least reduce, rather than continue or escalate.

People who want that type of dog, especially for the wrong reasons, will unfortunately switch their attentions to other powerful types and breeds, and new similar types will also be developed. The problem will not end with the XL.

Like many others, I really want to see the more widespread problem of irresponsible and dangerous owners and breeders - of all types and breeds of dogs - addressed. The welfare issues for the dogs and puppies involved must be addressed in a caring society at long last. The wrong sort of owners, financially-motivated breeders and sellers-on also give all of us, and our dogs, a bad name.

But I am fascinated at how very quickly a "clear vote winner" idea can be introduced when it takes so very long / is nearly impossible to introduce important legislation on other issues.
It's not new legislation, though, it's a statutory instrument which is easier and quicker. The Dangerous Dogs Act was written in such a way that this is possible.

So is lots of other legislation, but they don't use the same methods.

The breed "type" is vague enough to include so many breeds and crossbreeds. Other mastiff/bulldog types are also going to be included, including Boxer crosses, Cane Corsos, Presa Canarios. Got a Lab Boxer mix? It could easily be typed. Every owner of a Bulldog, Mastiff or long-legged Staffy type are potentially in the firing line.

To what harm though? So they may have to leash and muzzle them! Who cares? Who on earth thinks it's a good idea to own a Cane Corso anyway? No one normal that's for sure. And not being able to breed or sell your aggressive breed dog? Again, who cares, you shouldn't be able to anyway, these things are like keeping leashed bears in your home

This, ridiculous criteria (as with pit bulls) which will 'type' dogs who are not and never will be any kind of threat and allow others (which may well be an actual threat) to slip through the net. Community engagement/policing is the only way to stop dog attacks, clamping down on the backyard breeders and irresponsible/antisocial owners is the way forward, not demonising dogs and owners who have done nothing wrong. That's not to say I don't agree that XL's need to be banned, I do, it's the 'typing' of dogs who are not a banned breed I have a problem with.

There's a Cane Corso that walks near me, he's a big lad but totally docile, my PomChi can be a reactive little turd, especially to big dogs (we're working on it) and the Corso completely ignores her. Both dogs are always on leads.

There's always going to be big-dog-haters, but honestly the ones that have been in incidents are in the tiny minority. There's going to be a huge number of people who don't know whether their dog is typed, and there's definitely not enough official people to type every single dog, there's literally hundreds of thousands of dogs now that could potentially be typed. The exemption process isn't simple, isn't free, and there's so many people now, with perfectly well behaved dogs, who don't know whether to go for it or not.

The “type” they’ve decided on could also include pedigree boxers, Rottweilers, ridgebacks, any of the sexually dimorphic breeds like labs or Dalmatians.

It’s sadly, exactly what I expected - how do you ban a breed when it’s essentially a mongrel anyway? You don’t, you just put in pointless legislation focusing on looks instead of breeding, ownership or behaviour.

Meanwhile I could start breeding dogs with all their behavioural traits but with a fluffy coat and they’d be completely legal 😐

Good. Far too many victims. It should have been done twelve months ago.

I have a mastiff and have a small garden. She doesn't need a large garden she needs exercise in the form of a daily walk. I live 100yrds from a beach which she loves or an enclosed filed which again she loves. This definition of a XL bully will not just mean the end of that breed, but many other breeds will be caught up in this. Actual DNA doesn't count, whether the dog is aggressive doesn't count. Just if it looks like a type.There is nothing to actually deal with dangerous dogs included, nothing to stop back yard breeders . No licencing to ensure good owners. .this has been rushed through with little thought out into it.

This is from Emma Whitfield, the mum of Jack Lis:
"It’s been nearly two years I’ve been without Jack and we are only just now seeing a response from Government. As much as I do agree with the ban because of what’s happened to us and all over the country, they can’t introduce this and think that it solves everything because it doesn’t.

The bad breeders, owners and sellers will still be at large with many other breeds and this needs tackling too. My campaign focuses on these things and I will continue to speak out until we see change in those areas. Jack is behind everything I do and I will carry on fighting for him and other innocent victims.

On a day where a lot of what I’ve seen has been the dogs. Here is Jack. I miss your smile so much dude

#ForJackLis #JackLisLaw"

https://twitter.com/Emma__Whitfield

And I think all big dogs should be kept on a lead unless it is in a park with no playground or woods. They need to run about.