XL Bully dogs to be banned in Scotland after influx of breed across the northern border

11 January 2024, 13:13 | Updated: 11 January 2024, 13:56

XL Bully dogs are to be banned in Scotland following an influx of the 'dangerous' breed across the border after restrictions came into force in England and Wales.

First Minister Humza Yousaf confirmed the Scottish Government will "in essence replicate" UK legislation banning XL bully dogs without a licence.

The UK Government banned the breed as too dangerous following a spate of deadly attacks on people and other dogs across the country. The band has since caused an inflow of the dogs across the Scottish border.

But at First Minister's Questions today, Humza Yousaf said the decision to replicate the Dangerous Dogs Act will be taken pending a parliamentary statement next week after the country saw an influx of dogs being abandoned north of the border.

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Mr Yousaf said: "What has become clear, I'm afraid in the last few weeks, is we have seen a flow of XL bully dogs coming to Scotland, a number of people coming to Scotland to bring XL bully dogs here to the country."

"As such, we will give further details to members of the Scottish Parliament through a parliamentary statement if the Parliamentary Bureau agrees next week.

The SNP leader said he believed Scotland had a "very good system of dog control notice schemes", but needed to "we have to respond to the situation as it currently stands and therefore we will do what we need to do to ensure public safety."

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XL bully owners have not been able to take their dog out in public since December 31 unless muzzled and on a lead. It is now also illegal to breed, sell or rehome the dogs.

The dogs will then be totally banned from February 1, 2024, unless an owner applies for an exemption. This allows them to keep their pet as long as they are willing to comply with strict conditions requiring them to be neutered by the end of June unless they are younger than one, in which case they must get the operation done by the end of the year.

If owners of the animals do not comply with the new laws, the dogs will need to be put down.

Scottish Conservative MSP Jamie Greene called Mr Yousaf's announcement "a humiliating U-turn", adding that the "First Minister and his colleagues have wasted months playing political games and causing worry, only to now announce they will, rightly, replicate the UK Government’s ban anyway."

He added: “Humza Yousaf’s belated climbdown is welcome, but he has serious questions to answer over why this became a constitutional grievance and why he left it so late to take decisive action.”