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10
Oct
Police reveal number of XL Bullies euthanised in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire Police has revealed the total number of XL Bully dogs it euthanised under the Dangerous Dogs Act between February and July this year.
The act was introduced in response to reports of injuries and deaths caused by dogs, some of which were linked to the breed.
In February it became a criminal offence to own or sell an XL Bully in England and Wales without a certificate of exemption.
It is now also an offence to sell or breed XL Bullies or have one in public without a lead and muzzle.
North Yorkshire Police published data yesterday (October 9) in response to a freedom of information request.
It revealed it put down seven confirmed XL bullies between February 1 and July 31.
The data showed that 20 dogs were seized on suspicion of being XL Bullies during this time period.
Twelve of the 20 dogs were confirmed as XL Bullies while the rest did not meet “the requirements of the XL Bully conformation".
The force also revealed that 12 of the dogs involved did not have exemption certificates and six were confirmed following investigation as not being of the XL Bully breed.
The freedom of information request asked how many suspected XL Bully dog attacks the force investigated.
The data showed that there were 24 known recorded incidents relating to suspected XL Bully dog attacks within the five-month period.
Harrogate woman Anita Tryc, who owns an XL Bully, said banning dogs did not work, as shown by the number of Pit Bulls still registered even though they were banned in the 1990s.
She added “any dog attack is a human failing their animal” and questioned why there wasn’t the same focus on other breeds, which could also attack humans if they weren’t properly trained.
Ms Tryc said:
No dog will attack without a trigger. If the government is really bothered about stopping dog attacks there would be no breed-specific legislation. Licensing would have been in place a long time ago. There should be more education about breeds and dog ownership available for everyone who is even thinking about having a dog.
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