Scottish Government adds details to XL bully legislation plans

Last week, the First Minister indicated that the Scottish Government will look to replicate the legislation around XL bully ownership that came into force in England and Wales on 31 December 2023.?

Yesterday, Siobhian Brown MSP added background and context to how they anticipated this will work in Scotland.?

Sadly, it will soon be a criminal offence to have an XL bully dog in Scotland unless they are on the exemption register.?

The implementation will be in two stages. Firstly, all XL bully dogs will be required to be kept on a lead and muzzled in public, and when travelling in a private car, and it will be illegal to breed, sell, advertise, gift, exchange, abandon or let XL bully dogs stray in Scotland. The requirement to record XL bullies on the exemption register and the deadlines for spaying or neutering dogs will follow.

I was pleased to hear Siobhian Brown reiterating that the Scottish Government is unequivocally committed to Deed not Breed and acknowledging that this is the most effective way of keeping communities safe. Going forward, this is where we will work closely with her and her government colleagues to ensure workable legislation that protects people from dog attacks, penalises irresponsible owners and prevents the unfair demonisation of well bred, well reared, well behaved dogs.

What struck me most was the idea of XL bully owners needing to make a choice whether or not to keep their dogs. As a dog owner myself, I can’t even imagine having to make that decision. My bichon frise, Martha, is my best friend and my heart goes out to the thousands of owners whose cherished pets are affected by this decision, the responsible owners whose pets are part of their families, and my colleagues in animal welfare who have been put in this very difficult position.?

My thoughts are also with the families of people who have been injured or killed by dogs. We fully support legislation to protect the public, and we are deeply concerned about the rise in dog control related incidents. As a responsible charity, we will comply with the Scottish Government’s decision - but we know that any breed of dog can be potentially out of control and dangerous in the wrong hands. We don’t want to have the same conversation next year about plans to ban yet another type of dog.

Sadly, this legislation comes at a great personal cost for our teams. Our animal care assistants who look after and have built a bond with these dogs may have to accept that rehoming could become a non-option. Our helpline team will be trying to support devastated owners who are looking for answers that we don’t yet have. And our vets and behaviourists will have to come to terms with the fact that perfectly healthy dogs may need to be put to sleep, just because of the way they look.?

The knock on effect this legislation will have will be devastating too. Already stretched, police and local authority teams will have to enforce the legislation without proper training or resources in place. Vets who are already rushed off their feet will be placed under enormous pressure to neuter and microchip potentially thousands of XL bullies in order to comply with the new safeguards.??

I want to thank our Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn for his ongoing dedication to being a real voice for animals, working with partners and governments north and south of the border. We are so fortunate to have his great expertise and experience. He is truly at the forefront in leading the debate on this animal welfare issue. I’m also grateful to Elaine Lindsay and Claire Haynes and every single one of our Operations colleagues for all their hard work behind the scenes in preparing for all potential outcomes from yesterday’s announcement. Lastly, thanks to our Communications team who have supported numerous media enquiries over the last few months, consistently championing our position of Deed not Breed.

To everyone employed within or volunteering in the animal welfare sector, we are united in responding with sadness to this decision. Please, reach out to peers. Thank you for being part of the good fight with us.