AFTER two house searches in Monmouthshire, two unregistered XL Bully dogs have been seized. 

Officers from Gwent Police's Monmouthshire Neighbourhood Policing Team have seized two XL Bully dogs from houses in Abergavenny.

While carrying out two house searches in Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, a spokesperson for Gwent Police, said in a post on social media: "The Monmouthshire Neighbourhood Policing Team have conducted two house searches in Abergavenny in the past 7 days and have seized 2 unregistered XL Bullies

"#PC1695 #AbergavennyNPT #BannedBreed #XLBully"

Guidance on banned dogs

In the UK, it’s against the law to own certain types of dog.

These are the:

  • Pit Bull Terrier

  • Japanese Tosa

  • Dogo Argentino

  • Fila Brasileiro

XL Bully dogs are banned in England and Wales.

It’s against the law to:

  • sell a banned dog

  • abandon a banned dog

  • give away a banned dog

  • breed from a banned dog.

On 31 December 2023, the first stage of the XL Bully ban came into effect after the breed was added the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

The second stage of the XL bully ban came in to effect in February 2024.

Now, it is a criminal offence to own an XL Bully dog in England and Wales unless your dog is registered and has a Certificate of Exemption, third party insurance, with the dog muzzled and on a lead in a public place. If not, police may have the power to seize it.

Further advice from the Government on owning XL bullies can be found here.