1 Feb 2024
Initial restrictions on the controversial type are set to come into force later this month, but an ownership ban is not planned until the end of July.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Holyrood is taking action due to concerns, including transport of XL bully dogs across the border. Image: © Stephen / Adobe Stock
The first restrictions on XL bully dogs in Scotland are set to be introduced later this month, although a full ownership ban will not be implemented until the summer.
New details of the legislative timetable have now been released, following the recent confirmation of plans to implement the same rules as are now in place in England and Wales.
Under the plans announced yesterday (31 January), it will be an offence to either sell, gift or exchange an XL bully dog from 23 February, subject to parliamentary approval.
The animals will also have to be muzzled and kept on a lead in a public place from that date.
The second phase, under which it will become illegal to own a non-exempted XL bully, is due to come into force from 31 July.
But details of the process through which owners can exempt their dogs, along with support programmes and neutering deadlines, have still to be confirmed.
Community safety minister Siobhain Brown said: “These new rules are intended to prevent risks to public safety and animal welfare, and keep our communities safe.
“The vast majority of dog owners are responsible animal lovers and we know owning a dog brings with it important responsibilities.
“I would encourage owners to make themselves aware of the new laws and get ready for them.”
News of the Scottish Government’s planned timetable emerged only hours after the deadline for exemption applications from the XL bully ban in England and Wales passed.
According to Defra figures, more than 35,000 dogs were registered before the exemption scheme closed at noon yesterday (31 January), while more than 150 claims for euthanasia compensation were submitted.
