Strict new laws banning killer XL Bully dogs come into force today – and here we map exactly where the breed’s hotspots are across the UK.
Anyone who has one of the dangerous dogs could have their pet destroyed and end up with a criminal record if they are not meeting strict rules to have them registered.
As well as needing to have the pets put on the register from today (Thursday, February 1) they also must be kept on a lead and muzzled in public.
The ban came after there were 11 deaths linked to XL Bullies in the last three years and spate of other savage attacks across the country.
Research found just under 10,000 Google searches into buying such dogs are made a month across the UK, with some standout hotspots.
Online dog sales platform puppies.co.uk compiled localised data on searches for terms such as “XL Bully for sale” and “XL Bully puppies for sale” to gauge their popularity in various towns and cities.
Coventry took the top spot, with approximately 362 searches per 100,000 residents each month on average. Manchester came a close second with 354 monthly searches, followed by Leeds (286), Cambridge (252) and Liverpool (245).
Despite the controversy surrounding the breed The American Bully Kennel Club describes the dogs as “extremely friendly with strangers” and “great with kids”.
The breed is not recognised by the Royal Kennel Club, the UK’s largest organisation for breeding and welfare.
Bully Watch, a group that pushed for the Government ban, believes they make up less than one percent of the 13 million pet dogs in the UK.
Shockingly, however, they have been responsible for five out of the UK’s eight fatal maulings this year – 62.5 percent. Announcing plans for the ban Rishi Sunak said: “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: “We will then ban the breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act and new laws will be in place by the end of the year. These dogs are dangerous, I want to reassure the public that we will take all necessary steps to keep people safe.”
