Yes, it is a criminal offence to own or possess an XL Bully dog in England and Wales unless you have a valid Certificate of Exemption. It is also an offence to sell, breed, abandon or give away an XL Bully. You can find out more about the current rules for XL Bully breeds or read further information about banned breed types on the Government website.
What you need to know about the American XL Bully Ban
Find out more about the American XL Bully ban, what this means for owners of the breed and how this will affect your Petplan policy.
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Is it illegal for me to own an American XL Bully type dog?
How do I know if my dog is an XL Bully type?
Identifying American Bully XL types is difficult as there are many different variants that exist. The breed also isn't recognised by the UK Kennel Club. The government worked with a range of experts to develop a breed standard to help identify these dogs. Read the Government's definition of an XL Bully dog.
Will Petplan continue to provide pet insurance for my XL Bully type dog?
Petplan are monitoring the situation closely. We know this is a worrying time for our customers who have an XL Bully and want to provide reassurance that currently we are still covering XL Bully’s in the same way we always have.
If any changes to an XL Bully policy are needed in the future, affected customers will be contacted in advance of the changes coming into place.
If you would like to discuss your policy in more detail, please contact us so that we can support you.
Is Petplan still setting up new pet insurance policies for XL Bully type dogs?
The Government communications with regard to XL Bullies is an ever evolving situation that we are continuing to monitor closely. Now that the XL Bully ban has come into effect, we will no longer offer new policies for XL Bully dogs.
Will Petplan provide Legal Liability cover for my American XL Bully type dog?
American XL Bullies are a specialist type of dog that needs experienced care and handling. Due to this, we can only offer Liability cover in very limited circumstances. You may be able to get Liability cover for your dog through the Dogs Trust Companion Club. It covers all dogs including banned dogs that have been exempted. Owners of American Bully XL type dogs will currently be covered under the membership insurance but this may be subject to change.
Which other breeds are already banned in the UK?
There are currently five breed types banned in the UK under the Dangerous Dogs Act, which came into effect in 1991:
- Pit Bull Terrier
- Japanese Tosa
- Dogo Argentino
- Fila Brasileiro
- XL Bullies
It is illegal to breed, sell, give away or abandon any banned type of dog.
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