Support for XL Bully owners

If you missed the deadline to apply for an exemption, the only way to now get a certificate of exemption is to contact your local police force. 

As we currently understand the process, a Dog Legislation Officer would need to assess your dog to confirm if they are a prohibited breed. If this is the case, a court would need to determine that your dog is not a danger to the public, and that you are a fit and proper owner, and able to keep the dog safely in your home. 

This can be a lengthy process, and it is possible that your dog will be removed from the home until the process is completed. If the court is satisfied and recommends that you can keep your dog, they will issue a Contingent Destruction Order which will allow you to apply for a Certificate of Exemption. As soon as we have any further information, we will update our website.

For further details, visit Wheldon Law.

The law is concerned with the type of dog rather than the breed, and prohibited types are identified according to their appearance rather than their breed name, genetics (DNA), or parentage.  The Government has developed an official definition of an American Bully XL. It includes details on height, shape and other features. 

Height is an important factor: if your dog is smaller than the height specified in the Government’s definition then they are not an American Bully XL, and you don’t need to look at any other aspects in the definition. The height should be measured from the ground to the withers (which means the point of the body immediately behind the neck, at the top of the shoulders), not any higher point on the dog.  

The Government has defined an American XL Bully as: 

• Adult male from 20in (51 cm) at the withers 
• Adult female from 19in (48cm) at the withers 

If your dog is larger than this height, then they still may not be an American Bully XL. You need to look at all the other elements of the definition, as dogs need to meet a substantial number of the characteristics to be considered to be an American Bully XL.

Glossary of language used in Government definition: 

• Bite: the relative position of the upper and lower teeth when the mouth is closed.
• Coat: the hairy outer covering of the skin.
• Croup: part of the back from the front of the pelvis to root of the tail.
• Forequarters: the front part of dog excluding head and neck.
• Hindquarters: rear part of dog from behind the loin.
• Loin: the region between the last rib and the beginning of the pelvis.
• Muzzle: the length from the tip of the nose to the stop.
• Pasterns: the pastern is the lower part of the foreleg, just above the foot and below the wrist. Similarly, in the hind leg, the pastern is the portion located above the foot and below the heel (also known as the hock). Every canine possesses a pair of front and rear pasterns.
• Scissor bite: the upper front teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws.
• Spring of rib: degree of curvature of rib cage.
• Tail set: the position of the tail on the croup.
• Topline: an outline after the withers to the tail set. Viewed from the side of the dog or from above.
• Withers: the highest point of body immediately behind the neck where height is measured.

In England and Wales, the deadline to apply for a Certificate of Exemption has now passed. If you have missed the deadline to exempt your dog, you will need to contact your local police force for advice on how to get your dog exempted.

In Scotland, details of the exemption process and the rules haven’t been announced yet. We will update this page with information as soon as we receive it.

For any further questions about exercising an exempted dog, please contact dogsindex@defra.gov.uk. We cannot give any further guidance on the use of private fields by owners. with exempted dogs as this is set out by the CPS, and by the field and their insurance. 

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has set guidance around activities involving exempted dogs, including the use of private fields. We are not able to give guidance on the use of private fields by owners with exempted dogs as this is set out by the CPS, and by the field and their insurance. You can read the full guidance on the use of private fields on thc CPS website.  

The Dangerous Dogs Act was introduced in 1991 and gave the Government the power to ban any breed appearing to be bred for fighting or to have the characteristics of a type bred for that purpose. Under the Dangerous Dogs Act, these breed types are banned in the UK:

• Pit Bull Terrier 
• Japanese Tosa 
• Dogo Argentino 
• Fila Brasileiro 
• American Bully XL

It’s illegal to breed, sell, give away or abandon a banned type of dog.

If you own a currently banned breed type, and don’t have a certificate of exemption to keep them, the police can seize the dog and keep them, even if they’re not acting dangerously and no complaint has been made. A court process is then needed to determine if the dog poses a danger to the public and if the owner can apply for an exemption certificate.