Government issues new one-month warning to owners of XL thugs

Government bosses have issued a fresh warning to owners of XL thugs in the UK as most have just one month to act.

The XL bully breed was added to the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 on December 31 last year. It is now an offense to sell, abandon, allow to wander, give away, breed or have an XL Bully in public without a lead or muzzle.

To keep an XL bully, owners also had to apply for an exemption certificate from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) before midday on January 31.

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And on Thursday 30 May, DEFRA issued another deadline warning. The new Gov.uk advice says: “Owners of registered XL Bully dogs who were 12 months of age or older on 31 January 2024 must have their dogs spayed by 30 June 2024.”

Owners, it adds, must then submit the sterilization confirmation form to DEFRA by July 26 – or their dogs will no longer be exempt. This could mean confiscating the dogs as well as the owners facing prosecution and a criminal record.

Gov.uk guidance continues: “For already neutered XL Bully Dogs, a vet must complete and submit a VCN01 Sterilization Confirmation Form with the owner.”

The UK’s chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss, said: “The legal deadline for XL bullies to be neutered is now just a month away. Don’t risk leaving it to the last minute, owners should book to have their dog spayed as soon as possible.

“If evidence is not provided that the dog has been neutered by the relevant deadline, owners will be in breach of legal requirements to keep an XL bully dog ​​and it could be seized by the police.”

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