'No dog’s life is worth more than human life.'
XL bully dogs will soon be banned in Ireland, joining the UK in strictly regulating the controversial dog breed.
Under the ban, announced today by Ireland’s Department of Rural and Community Development, it will be illegal to sell, give away, abandon or breed these ‘dangerous dogs’ from October this year.
From February, it will be illegal to own an XL bully unless those who already have one acquire a ‘Certificate of Exemption’.
‘I know a lot of people will not agree with this decision. I’m a dog owner myself and I know people love their dogs,’ said the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys.
‘We must be mindful however that no dog’s life is worth more than human life. Ultimately that is what guided me in making this decision.’
The XL bully, also called the American bully, is a relatively new dog breed that is a cross between pit bulls and bulldogs.
The dog breed, which can weigh up to 70kg and stand 23 inches, has been behind a wave of attacks on humans – including fatalities, said Humphreys.
Nicole Morey, 23, was mauled to death by her dogs – one of which was an XL bully – at her home in Fedamore, Co Limerick, last week.
Alejandro Mizsan, 10, suffered life-changing injuries when he was savaged by an XL bully at the Forgelands Estate in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, last year.
‘If we do not take action now the number of these dogs in the country will grow and my fear is that these attacks will become more frequent,’ Humphreys added.
‘It is my strong view that Ireland should not be out of step with neighbouring jurisdictions in Northern Ireland and the UK on this matter.’
XL bully owners who breach the ban will be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of up to 2,500 euros (£2,100) and up to three months in prison.
England and Wales have banned the dog breed with Scotland to follow this month. Northern Ireland, which has seen an ‘increase’ in the number of XL bullies in the nation since these bans, has introduced tougher safeguards.
Between November 2021 and February 2024, XL bullies killed 15 people in the UK, according to the advocacy group Bully Watch UK. More than half of all attacks on humans were by larger XL bullies.
Researchers say that while XL bullies aren’t more likely to act aggressively, they can be more dangerous when they do. However, research is still sparse, given that the dogs have only existed since the late 1980s.
A blanket ban might not be the best way to curb the violence, they add, and can be seen as unfair targeting lower-income communities where the dog is more common.
Singling out the XL bully may encourage new, more dangerous breeds to be made to curb it, ‘as happened with the development of the American Bully after Pitbulls were banned,’ said Carri Westgarth, Professor in Human-Animal Interaction at the University of Liverpool.
‘Overall, experts including anti-bully groups agree that if dog bites are to be effectively reduced, much more intervention and legislation are needed than simply banning one breed,’ she added.
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