Applications have opened for Britons to register their XL bully canine for exemption earlier than the breed is made unlawful.
Owners who wish to preserve their canine have to use to an exemption scheme, or select to have their canine euthanised and apply for compensation.
It will probably be unlawful to personal an XL bully from 1 February subsequent 12 months, except the animal is on an exempt checklist, referred to as the Index of Exempted Dogs.
They have to be registered by the tip of January.
Should the canine be authorised, homeowners will probably be compelled to adjust to strict necessities – equivalent to canine being muzzled and stored on a lead in public, in addition to being microchipped and neutered.
Dogs greater than a 12 months outdated on 31 January have to be neutered by the tip of June. Those beneath 12 months outdated have to be neutered by 31 December 2024.
Owners with no certificates of exemption will face a prison document and an infinite effective if they’re discovered to be in possession of the breed as of 1 February, and their canine may very well be seized.
In September, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declared the breed a “danger to communities” after a person died in a “suspected” assault by two of the canine in Stonnall, Staffordshire.
And a lady informed Sky News that she needed tighter legal guidelines on the canine after her six-year-old son was attacked by her XL bully.
She warned the ban was not “fit for purpose” as it could not “protect the children that are at home with the dogs”.
“Every dog owner in this country should have to have a licence, every dog should have to undergo some sort of training so that somebody other than the dog owner has witnessed that dog and seen the type of temperament they are,” she added.
“I think there should be a lot more legislation in place.”
Chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss stated: “It is important that XL bully owners read the guidance and take all the necessary steps.
“This contains making use of for a certificates of exemption if you wish to preserve your canine and guaranteeing they’re muzzle skilled by the tip of the 12 months, as your canine will must be muzzled and on a lead in public after 31 December 2023.
“XL breeders should have also now stopped breeding their dogs and I would advise all owners to make an appointment with your vet to get your XL bully neutered as soon as possible.”
Source: information.sky.com”