Home Secretary Suella Braverman is seeking “urgent advice” on banning “lethal” American bully XL dogs.
Her statement comes after footage was posted online of an attack on an 11-year-old girl in Bordesley Green, Birmingham, on Saturday.
Ms Braverman said the attack was “appalling” and the breed was a particular danger to children.
The girl and two men who intervened were bitten by the dog. All three were treated in hospital.
The dog was taken to a local vet to be checked over before being transported to secure kennels while investigations continued.
The owner has been spoken to by the police.
Ms Braverman wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “This is appalling. The American XL bully is a clear and lethal danger to our communities, particularly to children.
“We can’t go on like this. I have commissioned urgent advice on banning them.”
Meanwhile, the mother of a 10-year-old boy killed by an American XL bully asked why the government had not acted sooner.
Emma Whitfield, whose son Jack Lis was mauled at a house in Caerphilly, Wales, in 2021, tweeted: “It’s crazy how this video has gone viral and now politicians are coming out of the woodwork saying how bad it is.
“Where were you when other innocent people were killed? Where were you when I was at Parliament asking for change? Nowhere.”
Former Justice Secretary Sir Robert Buckland also said: “I am deeply concerned by the rise of attacks on people, pets and livestock by bully XL dogs. The government should take action and ban these dogs.”
The breed is not subject to any legal restrictions but advice on a ban was commissioned last week, an adviser said.
Adding dogs to the banned list is the responsibility of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra).
It is illegal to own, breed or sell dogs on Defra’s banned list.
The PA news agency reported that there were concerns over the feasibility of adding the American bully XL to the banned list.
The dog is not recognised as a specific breed by the Royal Kennel Club, the UK’s largest organisation for breeding and welfare.
Pam, from Doncaster, told BBC Radio 5 Live that American bullies had “ruined” her life after two attacked her dog.
She said: “My husband was walking him on the lead and he was attacked by two of these XL bullies off the lead.
“They hurt my husband’s arm and crushed my dog.
“What sort of dog should be roaming the streets like that? If was a child it be dead. I hate them. They ruined our lives.”
Dog behaviourist Stan Rawlinson told the BBC: “This breed is a whole different ball game. The XL bully to my knowledge is probably the most dangerous dog breed or cross-breed I’ve ever seen.
“It’s hyper-reactive. It has an enhanced prey drive and a reactivity that is totally off the scale.”
An owner from Luton, who identified herself as Kelly, however told BBC Radio 5 Live that her dog was “placid” and hated that people crossed the street when she took it for walks.
“My boy Odie hears a child crying and its ears perk up and it wants to go and calm this child down,” she said.
“I don’t see why people need to ban him, why not ban all the little Jack Russells that like to bite. Why ban one dog because someone doesn’t like it.
She said that she was “tired of the stigma against XL bullies”.
A Defra spokesman said: “We take dog attacks and anti-social behaviour very seriously and are making sure the full force of the law is being applied.
“This can range from lower-level Community Protection Notices – which require dog owners to take appropriate action to address behaviour – to more serious offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act, where people can be put in prison for up to 14 years, be disqualified from ownership or result in dangerous dogs being euthanised.”
Source: BBC
