Over 300 canines have been seized in Wales since a change within the legislation was launched in February, 2024
Tons of of canines have been seized in Wales since a ban on XL bullies got here into power within the UK final 12 months. On February 1, 2024, it turned unlawful to personal an XL bully canine in England and Wales until a sound certificates of exemption is held.
The ban adopted a collection of deaths and severe accidents attributable to the breed within the UK, together with 600 hospital admissions in Wales because of canine assaults in 2023-24.
The canines are the biggest form of American bully canine and are described by the federal government as having “a muscular physique and blocky head, suggesting nice power and energy”. For the most important tales in Wales first, signal as much as our day by day publication right here.
The change in legislation additionally made it an offence to promote, give away, abandon, or let an XL bully stray. It additionally prevents individuals breeding an XL bully from one other XL bully, or have an XL bully in public and not using a lead and muzzle.
A collection of Freedom of Info requests made by WalesOnline to the 4 Welsh police forces reveals that because the ban got here into place in February, 2024, a complete of 371 canines suspected to be XL bullies have been seized from homeowners and subsequently held in police kennels.
Of those 371 canines, 273 have been discovered to be XL bullies, and 99 have been ‘destroyed’ by a vet. 68 of these seized have been deemed to not be an XL bully following assessments and have been subsequently returned to their homeowners.
Out of the 4 Welsh police forces, Gwent Police seized the a lot of the unlawful breed, adopted by South Wales Police.
Whereas the strict ban has now been in place for 22 months, the variety of high-profile incidents involving the breed has remained vital.
In November, a nine-month-old child boy, Jonte William Bluck, was killed by his household’s six-year-old XL bully in Rogiet. Jonte was fatally bitten, suffered a “compressive head damage” and died previous to arrival on the Grange College Hospital.
A person in his 30s and a lady in her 20s from Rogiet have been arrested on suspicion of kid neglect and of being in command of a canine dangerously uncontrolled inflicting damage leading to demise. The pair have been later launched on police bail.
In April, we reported {that a} younger woman was taken to hospital after struggling three puncture wounds after being attacked by an “XL Bully-type canine” exterior a store within the Trebanog space.
One couple from Clydach went viral earlier this 12 months after a video emerged of police seizing their American bulldog Ralph underneath the Harmful Canines Act 1991. Tons of of individuals known as for Ralph’s return and after examinations it was confirmed he was not a banned breed and was reunited together with his homeowners.
In January, Chief Constable Mark Hobrough of Gwent Police, who can be the Nationwide Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC) lead on harmful canines, stated a “enormous burden” had been positioned on UK policing because the ban got here into power the 12 months earlier than.
He defined that “the demand has been and continues to be merely enormous”, including that police forces have been dealing with vital challenges similar to kennel capability and resourcing, together with the coaching up of canine liaison officers.
The NPCC stated it might value as much as £1,000 a month to maintain canines in kennels.
