American XL bully dog attacks are on the rise but the “fashionable” breed should not be banned, a canine expert has said, as latest figures show 42 banned dogs have been seized in London this year.
Metropolitan Police have seized 42 dogs suspected to be banned breeds under Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and have destroyed 63 dogs so far in 2023, the Standard can reveal.
A total of 342 dog seizure forms have been submitted to the Met this year.
The majority of destroyed dogs were disclaimed by the owner to the police, and are not suitable for rehoming, the force said, following incidents such as an “inter-family” dog bite inside a private household.
The Met could not confirm how many of the seized or destroyed dogs were American XL bullys, because the breed is not currently banned in the UK.
There are four banned breeds - Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentinos and Fila Brasileiro.
But a string of deadly attacks on children and other dogs has led campaigners and MPs, including senior Tory MP Sir John Hayes last month, to call for the American XL bully to be added to the list.
Dog expert witness Jeffrey Turner, who assesses dogs and identifies banned breeds for police and courts, told the Standard that attacks involving American XL bullys have increased in the past year.
“The one that seems to be standing out at the moment against any other sort of dogs are the XL bullys,” he said.
“[But] I don’t think the Government would add any more dogs to the [banned] list. There have been calls in the past for the Staffordshire terrier to be entered onto it and the like.
“What the Government thinks is possibly that there is sufficient legislation in place to deal with dogs that…have been dangerous or people perceive them to be dangerous. There is already legislation in place for that.”
A girl, 7, was reportedly mauled by an XL bully in a Liverpool park last Monday. In west London last month, an XL bully killed a chihuahua in Crane Park and was handed over to police to be assessed for rehousing.
Mr Turner said he assessed an XL bully that attacked a child, and was called to work on an incident in London where an XL bully attacked a smaller dog before jumping on its owner.
“It literally picked the dog up like a toy and shook it. It was a really small dog and the owner was present and the owner wasn’t injured in any way,” he told the Standard.
“Even when the XL was jumping up and she was holding the dog in her hands, it was out of control but on that occasion there was no danger to the public.”
American XL bully dogs, derived from the pit bull terrier, are known for their large and powerful stature.
Males can weigh between 70 and 130 pounds (31-58kg) with heights between 19 to 23 inches.
But Mr Turner said the breed is not necessarily dangerous or aggressive.
“There are times when they can be dangerous, but they are not dangerous dogs,” he said.
“They’re powerful, it doesn’t make them aggressive. It’s a case of their size.
“I’ve had no problems with any of them on the assessments - but they are big powerful dogs. I think they’re just the fashionable dog at the moment.
He added: “XL bullys are the trend at the moment, they are the ones people have got to have.”
He said although attacks involving the breed are on the rise, they do not make up the majority of dog attacks, which also involve German Shepherds, Rottweilers and Cocker Spaniels.
Mr Turner said the breed is often misunderstood and their owners stereotyped.
“The unfortunate thing is, so many people are stereotyping, thinking people who own them are drug dealers. From the ones I’ve dealt with, not one of them has been a drug dealer.
“They’ve been domestic dogs, and that’s it. So they’ve not been trained to be aggressive or anything else.”
He urged owners of American XL bullys to train their dogs properly.
“There are some people that unfortunately try to treat dogs as humans and there is a difference.
“Treat them as dogs, domesticated dogs who enjoy human interaction. We can enjoy their interaction but boundaries have got to be put in place.”
