Two Fatal Dog Attacks This Year... Which Breed Was Designated as a Banned Dog in the UK?

American XL Bully to Be Designated as a Prohibited Dog by Year-End
Prime Minister Sunak: "Risk to Communities, Especially Children"

Recently, following a series of fatal incidents involving dog attacks in the UK, the breed known as the ‘American XL Bully’ is set to be designated as a banned dog breed.

On the 15th (local time), UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced, “We will go through the legal process to define the American XL Bully breed and designate it as a banned dog breed by the end of the year.”

According to The Guardian, the American XL Bully was involved in 6 out of 10 fatal dog bite incidents last year, with 2 deaths already occurring this year. Related civic groups claim that since 2021, there have been 14 deaths linked to this breed.

The day before Prime Minister Sunak’s announcement, a man was bitten multiple times by two dogs suspected to be American XL Bullies near a main road close to an elementary school in central England. The man was taken to the hospital but ultimately died.

On September 9 last year, an 11-year-old girl in the Birmingham area was attacked by an American XL Bully outside a store, injuring her arm and shoulder. Additionally, in July last year, a woman in her 40s was fatally bitten by her own American Bully, and a man who tried to intervene sustained serious injuries.

American Bully

The American Bully is a medium-sized dog breed developed in the US during the 1980s and 1990s by crossbreeding the American Pit Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier. It also includes bloodlines from the American Bulldog, English Bulldog, and others. It has a distinctive appearance with a large, almost square-shaped head, broad chest, and short legs, and is classified into Pocket, Classic, Standard, and XL types based on size.

The American Pit Bull Terrier and American Staffordshire Terrier are fierce dogs originally bred for dog fighting, but the American Bully, bred as a companion dog, tends to have a gentler and more cheerful temperament compared to them. However, if not properly socialized, it can exhibit aggressive behavior, leading some to argue that the American Bully should be designated as a dangerous dog breed.

The American XL Bully is the largest among the American Bully types, with males measuring 51?57 cm and females 48?54 cm. It can weigh over 60 kg and is strong enough that a single adult may not be able to restrain it.

In a video message posted on X (formerly Twitter), Prime Minister Sunak stated, “The American XL Bully poses a risk to communities and is especially dangerous to children,” adding, “This is not limited to a few poorly trained dogs but is a matter of behavioral patterns.”

Currently, four breeds are designated as banned dogs in the UK: the Pit Bull Terrier, Dosa dog, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro. Trading, transferring, or breeding these dogs is punishable by law.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.