XL bullies ‘demonised’, despite incident report drop – RSPCA

Reported incidents of cruelty and neglect affecting XL bully dogs in England and Wales have fallen by more than a third, according to new figures.

RSPCA officials hope their 2025 data marks the start of a new trend, though they say the type has effectively been “demonised” following bans on its ownership.

A total of 849 incidents related to XL bully types were reported to the charity in 2025, a fall of more than 31% from the 1,235 recorded the previous year.

Neglect cases down

Among specific incident types, the rate of decline was even faster, with neglect cases down nearly 35% to 429, intentional harm reports falling by around 37% to 132 and abandonments dropping by 41% to 106.

Samantha Gaines, the charity’s dog control lead, said: “We hope this trend continues with fewer dogs being abused.”

But the overall incident total is still significantly above the 609 recorded in 2023, the last full year before the ban on owning non-exempted XL bullies came into force, initially in England and Wales.

Pressure on owners

Dr Gaines said the organisation was concerned that the legislation had contributed to the spike in cases because of the pressure placed on owners trying to comply with the requirements or due to what they see as “unfairly misrepresented” animals being deliberately targeted.

She added: “We fear that the ban in the UK has demonised them.”

Although Defra has said it is considering whether current dog control rules are adequate, political leaders have consistently argued the XL bully ban was necessary on public safety grounds.

But the Dog Control Coalition, of which both the RSPCA and BVA are both members, insists the current breed specific legislation is not properly protecting the public and more needs to be done to tackle the underlying causes of aggressive behaviour.