USPCA respond to PM Rishi Sunak's call to ban the American XL Bully

The USPCA have released the following statement in response to Rishi Sunak's announcement to implement a ban on American XL Bullies by the end of the year.

'Unfortunately this is a knee-jerk response from the Prime Minister. It’s a quick and popular decision, but it’s not the right decision. The USPCA do not believe the solution lies in simply banning more dogs. We believe focusing on the type of dog, rather than their individual actions, is a flawed and failing approach. It has not worked for 32 years when this legislation was first introduced. We should not be demonizing a particular breed. It is also important to highlight that the number of dog attacks in NI has not increased. Though one dog attack is one too many.  Therefore, we would like to see a bigger focus on legislation that ensures responsible dog ownership rather than punishing individual dogs for the way they look if they haven't harmed anyone.

There is also a section of society who are training and breeding dogs to be as aggressive as possible. Involved in punitive training regimes and goading them to be aggressive. The same breeders are more often than not, part of organised crime groups who are also responsible for other deplorable acts of cruelty such as badger baiting and dog fighting. 

The PM's statement on Friday, is a headline, that will not solve the challenges of dog attacks.  We fully support legislation that protects the public, however this is not the correct response. 

We would urge government to place focus on the strengthening and enforcement of current breeding and dog control regulations, as well as the promotion of responsible dog ownership and training.'