New legal restrictions on XL Bully dog now in force

As new legal restrictions on the XL Bully dog are now in force, here are some details that you should be aware of.

The update to the UK Dangerous Dogs legislation came in to effect at midnight on the 31s December 2023.

DEFRA (Department for Environment & Rural Affairs) have made the following information available here.

There have been a lot of questions and scaremongering regarding this new legislation so we wanted to try and address some of the questions.

DEFRA have published information regarding the definition of an XL Bully.

From these guidelines, it is clear that the objective and target is XL Bully types. It is not understood to target other breeds.

We would remind our owners and prospective owners that under the existing legislation, Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (as amended 1997), it has always been a criminal offence to own a dog that is dangerously out of control, regardless of breed.

The new amendment to the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (as amended 1997) adds a further type to the existing legislation. This new ‘type’ is not dissimilar to that the of the existing ‘Pitbull type’.

It is our opinion that clearly a South African Boerboel bears no resemblance to either a XL Bully type or Pitbull type.

Therefore, we would urge our owners to be calm but prepared.

Boerboel GB will continue to promote responsible ownership and breeding and offer the following advice to owners:

• Always ensure that your dog is under control
• DO NOT allow your dog to become a nuisance or cause of fear to others
• DO NOT set your dog up for failure by placing them in bad situations
• If your dog has reactivity issues, address these issues with a suitable trainer
• Be aware where you exercise your dog and do not allow your dog off lead in public spaces as you cannot control public spaces
• DO NOT assume that other dog owners are responsible

Responsible ownership will avoid and prevent many avoidable problems from ever occurring. It is your responsibility as an owner of a large and powerful dog to always be in full control of your dog, its environment and the situations to put your dog into.

Dont fail your dog.

Please contact us for more information.