Crime & LawAnalysis

Q&A: the ban on XL bully dogs - how will it work?

Government is bringing in ban as a direct response to a number of horrific attacks on people in recent years

From October 1st breeding, rehoming, reselling and importing XL bully dogs will be illegal, with a ban on ownership from February 1st, 2025. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
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Cormac McQuinn
Fri Jul 12 2024 - 17:58

XL bully dogs are the first type of dog to be banned in Ireland but why is this happening and how will the ban be enforced?

Why are they being banned?

A: XL bully dogs have been involved in a number of horrific attacks on people in recent years. Alejandro Mizsan, a boy living in Co Wexford, suffered serious facial injuries in one incident in 2022. Last month Limerick woman Nicole Morey died after being attacked by her own dogs, one of which was an XL bully. Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys is bringing in the ban as a direct response to these and other incidents. It also brings Irish regulations in line with similar measures in Britain and Northern Ireland.

How will the ban work?

From October 1st there will be a ban on the breeding, rehoming, reselling and importing of XL bully dogs. From February 1st, 2025 there will be a ban on owning an XL bully unless the owner has secured a “certificate of exemption”. These will only be issued to owners who can prove their dog is licensed, microchipped and neutered. From February XL bully dogs without a certificate will be liable to be seized and euthanised.

How will it be enforced?

Concerns have been raised in some quarters that the existing control of dogs regulations are already not being fully enforced. Ms Humphreys said on Friday that dog wardens will have responsibility for enforcement but they will also have to work with the Garda. She said she has met local authority management and relevant Ministers about enforcement and conceded that “we do need more dog wardens”. She said more wardens are being recruited on top of the approximately 70 already in place. Her department says the power of seizure rests with dog wardens.

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What is the penalty for breaching the ban?

Under the planned regulations the penalties will be in line with those in the existing the Control of Dogs Act. People found guilty of an offence under the Act are liable on summary conviction to a fine of up to €2,500, or to imprisonment of a term of up to three months, or both.

What has the response been like?

There has been some concern among animal welfare organisations. The DSPCA said it understands it was a “difficult decision” for the Minister and “we will wait to see how this will work in practical terms”. It said it was concerned people will panic and abandon their pets or look to already-full rescue centres to rehome them. An Aontú councillor in Limerick, Sarah Beasley, a trained veterinary nurse, called the ban “outrageous” and “essentially unworkable”. She said she agrees stronger, restricted breeds have to be controlled but also argued “there is no real definition as to what an XL bully actually is”.

How will an XL bully dog be defined?

The animals are a crossbreed version of the American pit bull breed. The Department of Rural and Community Development said it is “envisaged that the same standards will be applied in Ireland as in Northern Ireland” and the standards here will be published alongside the regulations. A UK government website describes the animals in as a “large dog with a muscular body and blocky head, suggesting great strength and power for its size”. It provides measurements and photographs of what the dogs look like.

How will the move be funded?

Ms Humphreys said a €2 million fund has been put in place to help rescue centres and to better equip dog wardens. She said she knows a lot of people will not agree with the decision. “I’m a dog owner myself and I know people love their dogs. We must be mindful, however, that no dog’s life is worth more than human life. Ultimately that is what guided me in making this decision.”