XL Bullies Before Court

It has now been eighteen months since legislation came into effect prohibiting the keeping of XL bully dogs unless correctly exempted.

You can read more about the legislation in my earlier article.

In those eighteen months I hadn't seen a single case before the court. Last week, just like London buses, four of them came along at once.

These were applications made by the police, who had somehow learnt that the XL bullies in question were not correctly exempted. In theory the court can order the destruction of an XL bully that has not been exempted; in practice it will not do so if it is satisfied that the animal does not pose a risk to the wider public - e.g. it is well cared for, has a responsible owner and is of sound temperament.

From a personal point of view, it would not sit easy with me making an order for the destruction of a sentient being for no other reason than it's perceived to be the wrong breed. Instead the court tends to make a contingent destruction order, which means the dog will only be destroyed if the person keeping it fails to meet the specified contingencies - e.g. ensure it is correctly exempted by a particular date.

The police had carefully examined each of the dogs and were satisfied that they were well looked after, by responsible owners and were of sound temperament. Reading through the reports there were plenty of comments along the lines of the dogs being in good condition, playful, affectionate and tolerant. Crucially, there was not the merest hint of aggression in any of them. The dogs were also housed in premises without children and with secure outside spaces.

The court granted the police's application for contingent destruction orders for the four dogs. As long as the owners get them correctly exempted they will be able to live the rest of their natural lives.

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