Scottish SPCA criticises calls for XL bully ban
XL bullies have been responsible for half of all fatal dog attacks in the past three years.
The Scottish SPCA has criticised moves to make the XL bully a banned breed following an attack on a child.
The criticism came in response to a post by the home secretary, Suella Braverman, on the social media site X, in which she declared the American XL bully a ‘clear and lethal danger’ and voiced intentions to get ‘urgent advice on banning them’.
Ms Braverman made the comments following reports that an XL bully dog attacked an 11-year-old girl, followed by two men. According to the BBC, the victims received medical attention and have since been released from hospital.
The Scottish SPCA state that XL bullies have been responsible for half of all fatal dog attacks in the past three years.
The home secretary’s post joins recent calls to add the XL bully to the banned dogs list under the Dangerous Dogs Act, making it illegal to own in the UK.
However the Dog Control Coalition has previously urged for the Dangerous Dog Act, which has existed for 32 years, to be overhauled, saying that banning certain breeds does not make the public safer and hides a larger problem.
The Coalition, which includes (among others) the RSPCA, Dogs Trust and the Scottish SPCA, believes that current legislation risks dogs being destroyed based on how they look.
Addressing Ms Braverman’s post, the Scottish SPCA say that, whilst action needs to be taken to safeguard people from dangerous dogs, banning a breed is not a solution.
The rescue charity’s campaign, ‘No Bad Breed’, promotes the idea that no dog breed is naturally ‘bad’, and any breed of dog can be dangerous and out of control on the wrong hands.
They are appealing for Section 1 of the Dangerous Dog Act, which makes it illegal to own certain dog breeds, to be scrapped or amended so that dogs of a banned breed that have not harmed anyone can be safely rehomed.
They are also pushing for Section 3 of the Dangerous Dog Act to be properly enforced. Section 3 states that owners of dogs of any breed are subject to prison terms depending on the severity of the dog attack.
The charity believes that anyone found guilty of owning a dangerous dog should be banned from dog ownership for life.
Scottish SPCA chief superintendent, Mike Flynn, said: “The Scottish SPCA believes in the policy of ‘deeds not breeds’ because we do not think Section One of the Dangerous Dogs Act is fit for purpose.
“Banning certain breeds and types of dogs has not put an end to dog attacks. The Dangerous Dogs Act has been in place for over 30 years and dog attacks have continued to rise.”
He added: “We’d like to see a bigger focus on legislation that ensures responsible dog ownership rather than punishing individual dogs for the way they look if they haven’t harmed anyone.”
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Joanne Webster, a professor of parasitic diseases at the RVC, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).
