Police forces may battle to impound XL Bullies regardless of an upcoming ban as kennels throughout the nation are close to full, an knowledgeable on dangerous dogs informed i.
A ban on XL Bullies is being launched throughout England and Wales on 1 February following an increase in assaults by the massive bulldog-type breed over recent years.
Anyone present in possession of an XL Bully will face criminal proceedings and an unlimited fine except their animal has been granted an exemption.
Police can have powers to grab and impound unregistered dogs, which could possibly be put down if the proprietor fails to subsequently get hold of an exemption by means of the courts.
But Debbie Connolly, a canine behaviourist who works carefully with police, says officers have privately expressed fears concerning the enforceability of the ban on account of kennel shortages.
“There are concerns, certainly in four or five forces I’ve spoken to, that they are going to struggle,” she informed i.
“For the past year, numerous forces have been desperately trying to find more kennels that they can contract with to take in dogs.
“They are already crying out for kennel space. Now add to this a new breed that may need to be seized and brought in.”
More than 30,000 XL Bullies have been granted exemptions from the approaching ban, official Government figures revealed on Thursday.
Some specialists estimate that there could possibly be as many as one other 70,000 within the nation, with a selected focus within the North of England.
Facing these numbers, officers are anticipated to utilize particular measures, generally known as the Interim Exemption Scheme (IES), to unencumber kennel areas.
The IES permits forces to return suspected prohibited dogs to their home handle pending their courtroom date if a chief police officer is happy they aren’t a menace to the general public.
“When the IES came in some years ago it was used quite a lot,” Ms Connolly stated.
“The problem then was that people were selling the dogs or hiding them or moving them out. So, a lot of forces have specifically not used it for the reason that people abused it.
“However I’ve spoken to a lot of specialist officers around the country who are saying they’re going to have to use it more.”
Police have additionally expressed issues a couple of scarcity of specialist officers who’re wanted to establish unlawful dogs, Ms Connolly stated.
Dog Legislation Officers (DLOs) are educated to find out whether or not a canine is of a prohibited kind, however there are fewer than 100 throughout your complete nation, i understands.
Most forces solely have one or two DLOs, whereas even bigger ones such because the West Midlands and the Metropolitan Police have not more than three or 4.
“One force in the East Midlands technically didn’t even have a DLO for months last year,” Ms Connolly stated.
“They are struggling to keep up with the number of reports they already receive.”
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has stated it’s working to upskill officers all through January to guarantee that each power has at the very least one DLO by the tip of the month.
The Local Government Association, the nationwide membership physique for native authorities in England and Wales, has voiced its personal fears about kennel capability, notably given an increase in abandonments of XL Bullies, as reported by rescue centres.
Councils have a statutory obligation to select up stray dogs and accommodate them for at the very least seven days.
Last 12 months, Colchester Council grew to become the primary native authority to say its canine wardens would no longer collect XL Bullies on account of well being and security issues.
Councillor Heather Kidd, chair of the Local Government Association’s safer stronger communities board, informed i that additional funding from Defra might not cowl the cost of “new burdens” at a time when councils are already under severe financial pressure.
She stated: “Kennel capacity will be an issue if there is an increase in the abandonment of XL Bullies, which will be more likely if insurers begin to exclude these dogs from their policies and owners struggle to find places to exercise their dogs off the lead.
“We are also concerned that extra funding from Defra for new burdens placed on councils may not cover the costs of kennels or additional staff, which would place extra stress on the system.”
Meanwhile, the veterinary sector has additionally raised the alarm, citing fears that practices could possibly be overwhelmed by demand for neutering providers as results of the ban.
To safe an exemption, house owners should guarantee their canine is neutered inside a particular time-frame and supply proof of the process.
If the canine is lower than a 12 months old by 31 January, it should be neutered by the tip of 2024. If it’s older than a 12 months on 31 January, it should be neutered by 30 June, 2024.
The British Veterinary Association has referred to as for the neutering deadlines to be pushed again by six months, to keep away from “bottlenecks” the place capability is overstretched.
“A delay would help with some of the capacity issues in a profession that does have workforce issues,” BVA president Dr Anna Judson informed i.
“We know that XL Bully ownership can be patchy around the country, so certain practices and some of the charities are quite concerned that they’re going to struggle to fit in the number of pets that need neutering within the timeframe.”
A six-month delay would even be preferable for animal welfare causes, Ms Judson added.
“It’s usually recommended for dogs to be neutered when they’re at least 18 months old,” she stated. “Some of these animals are likely to be less than that age because of the dates given.”
Early neutering has been linked to well being points, together with orthopaedic issues.
Blue Cross, an animal welfare charity, informed i that its “biggest concern” concerning the XL Bully ban was the demand for veterinary providers, notably within the charity sector.
A spokesperson stated: “We are already at breaking point, dealing with increased workload from the cost of living crisis. We have had to consider what work we might need to stop to accommodate this extra neutering, with the subsequent considerations on animal welfare.”
A Defra spokesperson stated: “We have taken quick and decisive action to protect the public from tragic dog attacks by adding the XL Bully type to the list of dogs prohibited under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
“More widely, we are focused on ensuring that the full range of existing powers to tackle dog control issues are effectively applied across all breeds of dog. This includes the role of education and training to stop dog attacks in the first place, as well as how we can improve data collection and enforcement.”
A spokesperson for the National Police Chiefs’ Council stated: “Protecting the public and safeguarding communities is a key responsibility of the police.
“Meeting the increased demands of the Dangerous Dogs Act is something policing has been planning for to make sure that we’ve got the right resources, the right trained officers, the right abilities to seize, with the right equipment and vehicles, and the right kennelling provision moving forward.”
