14 Nov 2023
Owners are being urged to act quickly to secure exemptions to keep their pets before the ban comes into force early in the new year.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Image © otsphoto / Adobe Stock
A transition period enabling XL bully owners to seek exemptions for their pets before a ban on ownership is implemented has opened today (14 November).
Owners have until 31 January to apply for a certificate of exemption before the restriction comes into force on 1 February 2024.
Other rules barring breeding, advertising, selling and abandoning the dogs – as well as requiring they are muzzled and kept on a lead in public – will be enforced from 31 December under plans announced by Defra last month.
UK CVO Christine Middlemiss said: “It is important that XL bully owners read the guidance and take all the necessary steps.
“This includes applying for a certificate of exemption if you want to keep your dog and ensuring they are muzzle trained by the end of the year.
“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.”
Requirements for an exemption certificate include microchipping and having public liability insurance for the dog, as well as paying an application fee of £92.40 for each individual dog.
A requirement will also be in place for exempted dogs to be neutered by either 30 June 2024 for dogs that are more than a year old at the end of January or 31 December 2024 for those below a year old.
Meanwhile, compensation claims can now be made to help cover the costs of euthanasia, with £200 available to individual owners and £100 for rescue or rehoming organisations.
Defra has said owners who choose not to keep their dogs should have them euthanised by 31 January, despite senior vets’ concerns about the sector’s capacity and widespread anger online at the level of the proposed payout.
More information about how to obtain an exemption certificate is available online.
