Birmingham Council officers are still facing risks from abandoned XL Bully dogs as they continue to deal with the repercussions of the ban. Following a series of attacks, the government made it a criminal offence to own an XL bully without an exemption certificate in 2024. It is also an offence to sell, breed or abandon XL bullies, described by the government as large, muscular and powerfully built.
Declining Seizures but Persistent Danger
More than two years later, Birmingham City Council says it is still dealing with the consequences of the breed's ban as it continues to seize dogs that have been abandoned. However, the number of XL bully dogs seized has continued to fall, plummeting from 90 in 2023/24 to 13 in the past year.
We continue to deal with the repercussions of amendments to the Dangerous Dogs Act, to include restrictions on the ownership of XL bully type dogs, the city council wrote in a new report. However, the number of XL bully dogs seized as strays continues to reduce from 31 in 2024/2025 to 13. All of these dogs were seemingly abandoned, as none were subsequently claimed by their owners.
Risk to Officers
Some of these dogs and other breeds present a real risk to our officers, the council stated. In most circumstances, due to health and safety concerns, they must be handled by two officers. The council previously reported that one of its officers was attacked by a pocket bully type dog in September 2023, suffering significant injuries to her leg that resulted in several hospital visits and two weeks off work.
In the most recent report, the council confirmed a total of 564 stray dogs were seized in the past year, with 519 impounded at kennels and 45 returned directly to their owners. Many of the dogs we deal with are the larger bull breeds, the council added. If these dogs are not trained and socialised from a young age, they can sometimes become unmanageable and some owners abandon them.
