U.K. bans

London — England and Wales have put a ban on American XL bully dogs, which has come into effect after a series of violent attacks. Owners now need to apply for an exemption, providing evidence of neutering and liability insurance if they want to keep their pets. All XL bullies must be muzzled and kept on a leash in public. Before 2021, the U.K. had about three fatal dog attacks annually. However, since 2021, there have been at least 23, with many involving American XL bullies, as reported by CBS News partner network BBC News.

An American XL bully dog

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Emma Whitfield, whose 10-year-old son was killed by an American XL bully in 2021, expressed her concern, stating, “These dogs aren’t cared for by the breeders—they just want money—so from the greed at the start (and) irresponsible ownership in the middle, we’ve got children dying.”She added, “My youngest son started comprehensive school last week, and he should have had his big brother showing him the ropes, but he’s had to do it on his own. We’re missing a massive piece of our family.”

What is an American XL bully?
An American bully is not recognized by the U.K. Kennel Club as a specific dog breed. Instead, it is a type of bulldog resulting from the crossbreeding of several dog breeds, including Pit Bulls, American Bulldogs, and English Bulldogs. The U.K. government has published guidance to assist in identifying the dogs, describing them as having “a muscular body and blocky head, suggesting great strength and power for [their] size.” Before the addition of American XL bullies, the selling, owning, breeding, and abandoning of four other dog breeds was already illegal in the U.K.: the Pit bull terrier, the Dogo Argentino, the Japanese Tosa, and the Fila Brasileiro. If someone has a dog that is one of these breeds, it can be seized by the police, even without any complaints against it.

Difficult to enforce
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to ban American Bully XLs in September 2023 after 52-year-old Ian Price was attacked and killed by two of the dogs. Members of the public attempted to help Price but were unable to restrain the dogs.

Mark Hobrough, a police chief from the U.K.’s National Police Chiefs’ Council, said the new ban would pose “logistical challenges” for officers, leading to an increased demand for kennel space ahead of court rulings on whether dogs should be euthanized. Over 35,000 dogs in the U.K. are already registered for American XL bully exemptions.

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Haley Ott is cbsnews.com’s foreign reporter, based in the CBS News London bureau. Haley joined the cbsnews.com team in 2018, prior to which she worked for outlets including Al Jazeera, Monocle, and Vice News.