Overview

The XL Bully Dog Ban in the UK refers to the banning of the XL American Bully dog breed in the United Kingdom due to the number of deaths the breed has historically been responsible for. The breed was officially banned on December 31st, 2023. The ban inspired controversy online and in the UK, inspiring protests and calls to cancel the ban. It also inspired memes about the purported dangers of the breed and those fighting to lift the ban.

History

Between 2021 and 2023, the XL Bully, a larger breed of American Bully dogs, were responsible for at least 11 reported deaths in the United Kingdom, making them responsible for half of all dog-related deaths in the country.^[1][2] On June 4th, 2023, The Guardian^[3] published an article about the breed and calls to ban it, recounting the stories of two UK citizens who were killed by XL Bullys that year alone. On June 26th, the Times Radio YouTube^[4] channel uploaded a video on the topic, garnering over 30,000 views in a year (shown below).

On September 15th, BBC News^[5][6] reported that a 52-year-old Stonnall, England resident died in an XL Bully attack. The death resulted in the UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, announcing a ban on XL Bully dogs in England and Wales.

On October 31st, The Guardian^[7] reported that the ban would take place on December 31st, making it illegal to "breed, sell, advertise, exchange, gift, rehome, abandon or allow to stray XL bully dogs in England and Wales" if the dog is not registered in the exempted dogs index. The article states that after December 31st, all XL Bullys currently in England and Wales need to be muzzled and kept leashed in public and registered if the owner wishes to keep them. If they fail to register the dogs, they could face fines or have their dog seized. After February 1st, 2024, it will be illegal to own an unregistered XL Bully.

The RSPCA expressed concerns over the ban as it would make rehoming dogs after the 31st illegal, meaning any XL Bullys at the RSPCA after that date would eventually need to be euthanized. On November 25th, Sky News posted a video to YouTube^[8] on the topic, garnering over 100,000 views in two months (shown below).

On December 31st, 2023, the XL Bully ban was instated.

Online Reactions

News of the ban was met with significant pushback by some, including the RSPCA, dog advocates and XL Bully owners. On September 25th, 2023, TikToker^[14] and rapper @seekahlytess posted a rap with his XL Bully about the ban, garnering over 2 million views in four months (shown below, left).

On November 22nd, 2023, The Sun^[9] reported on a protest by XL Bully owners. On December 31st, TikToker^[10] @carlyleighgyally posted a video of herself taking a muzzle off her XL Bully, writing, "What a sad sad day, he can neber leave the house again without being caged and its so unfair," garnering over 8 million views in a week (shown below, right).

The ban also inspired memes online, some poking fun at the ban. On January 3rd, 2024, BBC^[11] reported on a man, Sammy Wilkinson, who volunteered to drive XL Bully dogs from England and Wales to Scotland to rehome them, claiming he'd saved over 30 dogs so far. On January 4th, X^[12] user @BatmanAnderson posted a meme about Wilkinson, captioned, "When he crashes into the man who’s driving 33 children to England to get away from the XL bullies," garnering over 8,000 likes in five days (shown below).

On January 5th, TikToker^[13] @britaistories posted an AI generated video of a British man talking about how he wishes to go to "XL Bully heaven" when he dies, garnering over 1.1 million views in four days (shown below).

On January 6th, 2024, X^[15] user @benjaminwylie1 posted an AI image referring to the ban, writing, "the banning of xl bullies has led to a renaissance in posting," garnering over 3,900 likes in three days (shown below, left). On January 8th, X^[16] user @jenuflexion posted another AI image referring to the ban, garnering over 15,000 likes in a day (shown below, right).

Search Interest

External References