Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths has welcomed the UK Government’s announcement that it is to ban the American Bully XL by the end of the year.
The Minister said:
I welcome today’s news that steps are at last being taken to deal with the American Bully XL dog, following a number of attacks and fatalities. I have written to the UK Government over many years asking them to address the number of incidents involving American XL Bully Breeds, and to look at how the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 can be improved. Just this week I raised the matter again with the DEFRA Secretary of State and I look forward to seeing the detail of the measures.
My officials will work closely with UK Government to ensure the ban does not negatively affect public safety, dog welfare or pressure on the wider animal welfare sector’
Promotion of responsible dog ownership is a priority for the Welsh Government and our Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs outlines the obligations on owners to keep their dogs under control. Our Programme for Government includes several measures that will improve standards of dog breeding and keeping in Wales.
We will continue to keep under constant review what we can do here in Wales to prevent the dangers posed by irresponsible dog ownership, while promoting the benefits that dogs can bring to society.