How dangerous are XL bullies and how does the ban work?

According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, external, there were 16 deaths as a result of dog attacks in the first nine months of 2023, compared to six in the whole of 2022.

However, official figures do not break down the number of attacks or deaths by type of dog.

When it announced the XL bully ban for England and Wales in late 2023, the government said the breed had been “disproportionately involved” in deaths recorded since 2021.

In several cases, XL bullies are known to have killed their owners, including a woman in her 50s in London in May.

Other people killed by XL bullies include 68-year-old Esther Martin, 54-year-old Ian Langley, 52-year-old Ian Price, 65-year-old Ann Dunn, 17-month-old Bella-Rae Birch and 10-year-old Jack Lis.

NHS consultant Richard Baker said the dogs’ powerful jaws inflict more damaging wounds than those of other breeds, resulting in broken bones, shredded skin and damaged nerves.

“It’s a crushing or a tearing injury,” he said. “Once they grip, they don’t let go.”

In total, there were more than 9,200 hospital admissions for dog bites in England in 2022-23, according to the latest full-year NHS data., external

This was up slightly from 8,700 the previous year, but over the past decade as a whole, dog bite admissions have risen by nearly 50%.

According to the latest data from the Ministry of Justice,, external 695 people were prosecuted in 2023 for allowing a dog to injure another person in England and Wales. There were 570 convictions.

There are no official statistics on how many people have been prosecuted since the ban on unregistered XL bullies came into force in February.