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Owners of XL bully dogs have two weeks to make sure their pets are authorized.
From 31 December the dogs should be muzzled in public and will probably be unlawful to breed, promote or abandon them.
Advertising, gifting and exchanging the pups may even be banned, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) stated.
The authorities reminded homeowners that they’ll ask a vet to place their pets down and declare compensation.
Please don’t threat leaving it to the final minute if you wish to hold your canine
Christine Middlemiss
Chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss stated: “New legal restrictions for XL bullies are now less than a fortnight away.
“Owners should read the guidance and ensure they are ready to comply with the new rules, which includes keeping your XL bully dog muzzled and on a lead in public from 31 December.
“From 1 February 2024, it will also be a criminal offence to be in possession of an XL bully in England and Wales unless you have applied for an exemption.
“Please do not risk leaving it to the last minute if you want to keep your dog, you should apply now for a certificate of exemption.
“We recommend a precautionary approach – if you are unsure if your dog is an XL bully or whether any puppies may grow up to be of this dog type, you should comply with the relevant requirements and restrictions.”
The full ban will come into place on 1 February, that means homeowners have simply over six weeks left to use for an exemption certificates to maintain their dogs, or face potential prison proceedings and a limiteless nice.
To qualify for an exemption certificates, homeowners should show their XL bully has been neutered by June 30.
If the pup is lower than a yr old by January 31, they need to neutered by the top of 2024, and proof should be supplied.
As effectively as neutering their animals, XL bully homeowners searching for an exemption should additionally pay an software charge, maintain lively public legal responsibility insurance coverage for his or her pets and make sure the dogs are microchipped.
The measures had been launched after an increase in canine assaults over recent years.
Until 2021 there have been about three deaths a yr, however there have since been 23.
People with dangerously uncontrolled dogs might be jailed for 14 years and banned from proudly owning animals, and their pets might be put down.
