What shall I do if I own an XL Bully dog now that they have been banned?

On 1 February 2024, owning an XL Bully type dog became illegal without a Certificate of Exemption.

An XL Bully is an American Bully XL, the largest of the American Bully type dogs. Here’s the government’s guidance on how to check if a dog may be classed as an XL Bully.

This change occurred because the government has added XL Bully types to the list of banned, dangerous dogs in England and Wales, under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

To protect residents, our Pets Policy (PDF) says that we don’t allow residents to keep dogs listed under this Act, unless they are on the index of exempted dogs. This means we require residents with XL Bully dogs to have a Certificate of Exemption.

If you think you have an XL Bully dog and you have not applied for a Certificate of Exemption, you should contact your local police force.

If you have an XL Bully dog and you do have a Certificate of Exemption, please note that it must be kept muzzled and on a lead while in public spaces.

Other rules apply, including that it is now a criminal offence to breed, advertise, sell, exchange, gift, rehome, abandon or allow your XL Bully type dogs to stray.

You can read more detailed information about the new rules on the Blue Cross website.