Dog breeders bypassing XL bully ban with vicious 'pocket bully'

Dan McDonald
Sat, 25 Apr 2026 05:32:57 +0000

Dog breeders are bypassing the XL Bully ban by marketing so-called “pocket bullies”, a recent investigation has uncovered.

Since restrictions came into force at the start of 2024, demand for the compact dogs - a smaller but genetically similar variant that remains legal - has surged, with online marketplaces flooded with listings, The Mirror has found.

Experts warn the animals pose similar risks despite their reduced size.

The investigation comes after the tragic death of three-month-old Maggie-May Ann Moody in Redcar, North Yorkshire, who was allegedly killed by a dog described as a pocket bully-type.

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Her devastated family told the newspaper: “Maggie changed us in so many ways. She was everything to us. She gave us meaning and purpose every day, and we feel empty.

"As parents and a family, we have been robbed of a beautiful lifetime and memories with her.”

Campaigners are now calling for the breed to be banned.

Amanda Holmes, whose five-year-old son Antonio was seriously injured in a pocket bully attack, said: “The dog bit Antonio's face in two places and his thigh, he was in surgery for six hours.”

The mother, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, said her son is still struggling and remains under hospital care.

“Before the attack, he was a happy little boy - now he's having nightmares, wetting the bed and terrified. He's a different child... These dogs should not be allowed,” she added.

Karen Hawthornthwaite, 55, from Darwen, Lancashire, said she developed PTSD after witnessing her lhasa apso Benji being fatally attacked by a pocket bully.

“I would 100 per cent like to see the pocket bully banned,” she said.

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Jeffrey Turner, a dangerous dog assessor and expert witness, warned: “Pocket bullys are smaller versions of the XL.

"They can bite. And at the end of the day they are very powerful units.”

He said the dogs are increasingly falling into the wrong hands, with organised criminal networks breeding American bullies during the pandemic and selling puppies for thousands of pounds.

However, some experts argue banning breeds will not solve the issue.

Dog behaviourist Rob Alleyne said irresponsible owners - not the dogs themselves - should be held accountable.

“All owners must take responsibility for having their dogs under control,” he said.

“What we need is for those people to be prosecuted, and made examples of.”

Police figures show 31,920 dog attacks were recorded across England and Wales in 2024 - a two per cent rise on the previous year.

Despite a drop in XL Bully-related deaths, attacks involving other bully variants continue, with three incidents recorded in the first two weeks of April alone - fuelling concerns the problem has simply shifted rather than been solved.