Joe Harker
The UK government has announced that its ban on XL Bully dogs will come into place very soon.
The government promised to ban the breed of dog by the end of the year, making it illegal to sell, gift, abandon, rehome or swap the dogs in England and Wales.
Dog owners who currently have the breed as a pet will be able to keep them, but they must be kept on a lead and muzzled when out in public, with XL Bully owners advised to train their dogs to get used to leads and muzzles as soon as possible.
Animal breeders have been told to stop breeding XL Bullys in anticipation of the new laws.
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And now, it's been revealed the legislation will come into effect in a matter of weeks.
The XL Bully ban will be effective from 31 December.
While it cuts it fine to hit the target of banning the XL Bully by the end of the year, it does just about get the laws into effect before the new year arrives.
That's not all, as the government also announced that from 1 February, 2024 onwards it will be illegal to own an XL Bully dog that is not registered on the Index of Exempted Dogs.
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This doesn't come cheap, and will cost £92.40.
The intention is that XL Bully owners who already have one of the banned breed of dogs will have ample time to register them.
Anyone who wants to keep their XL Bully as a pet will have to register the dog and follow the strict series of requirements.
Police will be able to take away XL Bullys which aren't registered, even if no complaint of dangerous behaviour has been made against them.
In addition to having the animals muzzled and on a lead, dog owners will need to have their pets microchipped and neutered.
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XL Bullys that are under the age of one when the ban comes into effect on 31 December must be neutered before the end of 2024, while XL Bullys older than one-year-old must have been neutered by 30 June, 2024.
As for what officially counts as an XL Bully, the government has set out an official definition for what counts as the dangerous and soon to be banned dog.
There have been a number of attacks across the UK by the dangerous breed of dog, with people seriously injured and some even dying.
Following a spate of incidents, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the government would ban the XL Bully by the end of 2023.
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Their first step was to define the breed in law before laying down that it would be banned.