Will my dog be classed as a ‘type’?

[Worried2024]

Hi. So I have a staffie cross called Nova. She’s a lovely dog, I got her through a rescue 6 years ago and she lives happily alongside my 10 free ranging chickens, 3 cats and a wild toddler. I am concerned she will fall into the XL bully type classification because she’s large for a staffie and she obviously has bull breed characteristics. She measures in at 49cm whereas the gov.uk says a minimum of 48cm alongside a list of characteristics which I feel would fit lots of bull breeds generally speaking.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/official-definition-of-an-xl-bully-dog/official-definition-of-an-xl-bully-dog

I feel like we are in limbo and it sucks because I don’t know what to do. If we apply for an excemption then she loses her ability to walk off the lead, etc which would be a shame. She has excellent recall and I seldom require a lead so would be a big change for her. Whereas if we don’t apply and she is deemed a type, we risk losing her and her safety is paramount to us at the end of the day. Is there anyone I could go to who could clarify whether or not she would be classed as a type? I did consider a vet but I feel like they would just be reading the same guidance as me and she’s such an in-between case. Any advice? Thanks

She doesn't look anything like and XL Bully to me. As for whether she's an American Pit Bull as some posters have suggested, I wouldn't know, but presumably the shelter wouldn't have been allowed to offer her for adoption if they believed she was?

Completely agree.
They are EXTREMELY dog aggressive, and that ''Oh shit'' feeling when you see that hideous pumpkin head and massive body with tiny , tiny deep set 'dead' eyes fixated upon other dogs- or children or vulnerable people.

Pits are longer legged and slimmer, but still very powerful bite.

OP's does look a bit Pit bull cross to me.

Unfortunately, a large number (41%) of shelter staff are willing to lie to avoid illegal dogs being put to sleep.

"UK participants were more likely to say their shelters would euthanize dogs deemed to be pit bulls. Most participants noted using dogs' physical features to determine breed, and 41% affected by BSL indicated they would knowingly mislabel a dog of a restricted breed, presumably to increase the dog's adoption chances."

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4160292/#:~:text=Although%20the%20UK%20Kennel%20Club,from%20a%201977%20issue%20of

I think the most terrifying thing about that study is this statement:

"dogs are considered “pit bull type” if they meet a substantial number of 15 physical features outlined by the DEFRA and copied directly from a 1977 issue of the American periodical Pit Bull Gazette"

That's fucking appalling. I'm in favour of dog controls which may include size/weight aspects but not the way it's been done by this lazy, 'do it cos it's popular' government - or the original gov. that brought it in. It was a knee jerk reaction back in the 90s that subsequent govs have failed to correct and the current lot have just copied because they cannot be arsed to do the thing properly.

Basing anything on standards from the 70s is daft - measurements of all breeds have changed so much since then.

Basing them on on a magazine that (at that time) had about 2 issues to it's name. It'd be funny if it wasn't so serious.

She does look much taller than an average staffie to me, they are less than 16 inches usually, so I suspect she’s crossed with something and indeed maybe a pit bull. Which is a breed it is already illegal to own. I don’t think this is simply about the xl bully laws., but the wider laws around pit bulls.

the risk I think you have is if someone reports, ie if they see her out unmuzzled, or off lead. If her chest is 19 inches wide, she’s a big dog and the pics aren’t really showing it, as she looks quite small but tall in them,

I think not having an exemption puts her at risk.

Whilst I agree with the ban there absolutely needs to be somewhere you can go to where they will definitively tell if your dog is "type", they shouldn't allow people to hang in limbo.

They have promised that if you register and then later find out your dog isn't included you will have the ability to remove your dog from the register. Of course if you are likely to lose your home and medical insurance for your pet that won't seem like a lot.

But on the other hand the backlog in the court system is huge so if your dog is seized they could be in kennels for many, many months.

Personally speaking I'd expect a bigger head on more muscular body on a bully

What gorgeous dog. It’s all about the dog owner sad to see people think breed has anything to do with violence .

Except breed/type definitely does play a part in aggressive behaviour and damage to children, adults and other dogs.
Pit Bulls and Pit crosses are far more likely to be genetically driven to attack without warning-

Their Size and tenacity and bite style ( Strong grip and shake ) There is a smallish Pit Bull captured on video shaking a Seven year old child around like a rag doll in the street .
This is why many countries try to restrict and control certain breeds- because of damage due to bite style and propensity to go off half cocked.

Hold and rag and tear is what their bite style is.
very different from the snatch bite of many other types of dog.

She's gorgeous, lovely Nova! and defo has the classic Staffy face. If she were mine I think I would do a DNA test for my own peace of mind, and then just carry on as normal. Honestly it's crazy that any dog who looks even a tiny bit like a XL could potentially be caught up in this.

Pitbulls are also 'controlled' under needing to get them exempted - They are smaller and leggier than Staffies and much smaller than the larger Pit crosses like the XL's.
They don't go by 'DNA' testing, but by certain measurements.

From Blue Cross website

"Classing a dog as illegal based on looks alone means that half of the puppies in a litter of crossbreeds could be illegal types, while the other half of the litter is legal types.

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has given guidance to law enforcers on what to look for when ‘typing’ a dog. Pitbull terrier types are defined using measurements based on an American breed standard for show dogs from the 1970s. Enforcers use a tape measure for this test.

Guidance has been given for XL bully type dogs, but this can be easily applied to many bulldog breeds, including staffies and crosses.

Under the law, a dog that looks like an illegal type can be seized and killed based on looks alone – the dog doesn’t have to have behaved aggressively or injured anyone.''

You really need to assess her against pitbull standards

Dangerous Dogs Law - Guidance for Enforcers (publishing.service.gov.uk)

And if there is any chance she fits those, then you need to have her exempted. Because the alternative is way more distressing.

(PS: I agree about it seeming pseudoscience. But it's what we've got)

I wouldn't think she was an XL if I was on the walk , she hasn't got the huge strong jaw.

People are forgetting the Pit Bull type which this dog far more resembles - as @wetotter says, it's crazy that the law is governed largely by a tape measure but if I had any dog that could be remotely seized as an illegal type,I'd definitely do the exemption thing.

This is an interesting if depressing programme. {UK} terrestrial TV.

Please tell me you’re being ironic.

What a gorgeous girl @Worried2024. She is definitely not an XL - she doesn’t have the muscular body or the large head/jaw.

I agree with pp that if anything, she could be typed as a pitbull ‘type’. But still unlikely.

This entire situation is ridiculous. Sadly we lost our boy just before Christmas, and we spent his final few weeks worrying about this ridiculous legislation and looking into how to get him assessed, and whether we’d need to exempt him (he was a 25kg mixed bull breed who measured exactly 20 inches at the withers). It’s beyond belief that they’re asking members of the public to assess their own dogs against such vague criteria.

She doesn't look like an xl bully. I know you say she's staffy but to me she she looks like several breeds; bit of staffy, bit of cane corso, bit of lab, bit of pointer.
If I saw her on a walk I really wouldn't be thinking xl bully.

How is the poster evil? They only said the truth - that even if the shelter had told you what breed your dog is, that they could well be lying. We all know that shelters lie and the people who dump their dogs there also lie. Saying that doesn't make it evil - it's not like the poster said your dog should be PTS...

As it is, no your dog doesn't look like an XL.

BUT I would probably still avoid it on a walk with mine because she looks like some sort of bull type cross and I have bad experiences with them.

Sure you'll call me evil now as well...

I don’t think she looks like an xl bully.

i think I’d get ahead of it o/p. The police have dog experts who classify banned/restricted breeds and can do it by photo. Get in touch and ask if they’ll take a look.

then you can deal with it appropriately.

It's the lack of critical thinking.. Many 'rescue' kennels do lie , either by omission or because they genuinely don't know.

We had an RSPCA dog just listed as ''Lurch Cross''

My friend has a Staffie Lurcher {Bull lurcher} but the dog's home called her a Rhodesian Ridgeback X. Only as she matured was it possible to see that she is indeed a Staffie X

Even images can be deceptive...This is a purebred Whippet puppy but the hot day, it's excitement and foreshortening of the muzzle make it look more 'bullish'

OK. I'll take the bait.

Why do you think I'm evil?

I uploaded the images of the dog to Dog Scanner and it's classified the dog as a pitbull.

The app is American, so a Staffordshire Bull Terrier is different to a UK staffy. It's basically a 'breed standard' pitbull.

Honestly some of these posters.

OP, your dog is a staffy. A large staffy but a staffordshire bull terrier none the less.

It needs muzzling or putting down. If you don’t do the former they will do the latter (regardless of whatever you want to call it).

Can you elaborate on why you think that?