Nearly 40,000 XL Bullys are thought to still be on Britain’s streets despite a ban on the breed being introduced.
Since February 1 it has been illegal to own an XL Bully unless the dog was registered in advance.
According to the banned breeds register, some 38,424 dogs were granted the £92 exemption to avoid being put down.
The figure however, is four times more than what Government officials thought ever existed in the UK.
Nearly 40,000 XL Bullys still on Britain’s streets
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When plans for the ban were introduced, it was estimated there were only around 10,000 XL Bully type dogs in Britain.
However, a House of Commons committee last year heard there could have been as many as 50,000, according to veterinary practice data.
A ban on the XL Bully breed was introduced in Britain after a number of deaths and injuries were connected to the animals.
Estimates suggest there have been as many as 24 deaths linked to the breed since 2021 according to The Sun.
XL BULLY LATEST:
Shelters say that have seen a huge increase in XL bullies being handed in or abandoned ahead of the banGB NEWSBull Watch UK has given a more conservative estimate, and suggests just 15 people have been killed by the breed or XL Bully crosses since November 2021.
Owners of the breed could face being taken to court and their pets seized if the dogs are found to be unregistered.
The latest figures come just a few days after an XL Bully owner dodged prison after her dog attacked a female neighbour and a police officer within just days of each other.
Kimberly Wood, 23, of Bramblewood, Ipswich, pleaded guilty to two counts relating to being in charge of a dangerous dog.
XL bullies were added to the Dangerous Dogs Act on October 31, 2023PAWood was given a four-month jail term, suspended for 18 months, at Suffolk Magistrates' Court on Thursday.
After the second incident where the dog harmed the officer, officials attended the scene and destroyed Rocco.
The neighbour said that following the mauling, she lost “complete movement in my arm for four weeks”.
She added in a witness statement that “the attack left permanent scars and a loss of sensation... in my fingers”.