Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the American XL bully breed of dog will be banned by the end of the year following a series of attacks.
Mr. Sunak’s announcement on Friday came as it was reported that a man who was attacked on Thursday afternoon by two dogs in Stonnall, Staffordshire, had died.
Staffordshire Police said the two dogs involved were believed to be XL bullies but they were carrying out further tests. A 30-year-old man, believed to be the dogs’ owner, has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.
On Monday, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she was seeking “urgent advice” about banning the breed after a video of an attack by one of the animals went viral.
An American bully attacked an 11-year-old girl, Ana Paun, in Birmingham on Saturday and then savaged two men who tried to help her.
On Friday, in a video he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr. Sunak said: “I share the nation’s horror at the recent videos we’ve all seen. Yesterday we saw a another suspected XL bully dog attack, which has tragically led to a fatality.”
“It is clear this is not about a handful of badly trained dogs, it’s a pattern of behaviour and it cannot go on,” he added.
Mr. Sunak said he had ordered ministers to bring together police and canine experts to define the breed of dog behind the attacks so they can then be outlawed as soon as possible.
PM Pledges to Take ‘All Necessary Steps’
“These dogs are dangerous, I want to reassure the public that we will take all necessary steps to keep people safe,” Mr. Sunak added.Emma Whitfield, whose 10-year-old son Jack Lis was mauled to death by an American bully near his home in Caerphilly in Wales last year, responded to Mr. Sunak’s announcement on X, saying: “I’m sobbing. I’m sat on my own sobbing. I don’t even have words right now.”
Dangerous dogs are the responsibility of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The minister in charge of Defra, Therese Coffey, wrote on X on Thursday: “Bad owners can lead to bad dogs but unfortunately some have been bred for their characteristics. We cannot ignore this pattern of attacks. We will take action.”
But Bully Watch, a pressure group that campaigns about the dangers of the breed, wrote on X after the Stonnall attack: “Community members have told us the dogs in question are rumoured to be two Bully XLs known already as dangerous in the community. If this is true the government has blood on its hands. Action must be taken now.”
Asked by journalists at a briefing if government ministers had “dragged their heels” on banning the dogs, the prime minister’s official spokesman said: “I wouldn’t accept that. I think we’ve obviously been doing some policy work on this and you heard from the home secretary recently about how to take this forward.”
Labour Criticises Time It Took for PM to ‘Finally Act’
Shadow environment secretary Steve Reed said: “This attack is absolutely horrific. These dogs leave a trail of destruction in communities up and down the country. Labour MPs have long called for these dogs to be banned. Families will be furious that it has taken this long for Rishi Sunak to finally act.”There are currently four banned breeds: the Japanese Tosa, the Dogo Argentino, the Fila Brasileiro, and the Pit Bull Terrier.
The American bully—which includes the XL bully, pocket bully, micro bully, and toadline bully—is a form of Pit Bull Terrier.
The Kennel Club and the American Kennel Club do not recognise it as a separate breed, although the United Kennel Club in the United States recognised it as such in 2013.
Staffordshire Police said one of the dogs in the Stonnall incident had died being restrained and the other was put down by a vet.
Superintendent Tracy Meir said: “I would like to offer my condolences to the loved ones of the man who tragically lost his life in this horrendous dog attack. We are continuing to support them at this incredibly difficult time.”
