Home Secretary Suella Braverman says she will seek to ban a breed of dog—American bullies—after a video of an attack by one of the animals over the weekend went viral.
An American bully attacked an 11-year-old girl and two men who tried to intervene in Birmingham on Saturday.
Ms. Braverman, responding to a newspaper article about the incident, wrote on X, formerly known as 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.”
‘Where Were you When my son was Killed?’
“Where were you when my son was killed? Where were you when other innocent people were killed? Where were you when I was at Parliament asking for change? Nowhere,” she added.Despite Ms. Braverman’s comments, dangerous dogs are actually the responsibility of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The minister in charge of Defra, Therese Coffey, has not commented on the incident, and the PA news agency understands they are sceptical of the feasibility of banning the American bully as it is not recognised as a specific breed by the Kennel Club.
There are currently four banned breeds: the Japanese tosa, the dogo Argentino, the Fila Brasileiro and the pit bull terrier.
Not Recognised as a Breed by Kennel Club
The Kennel Club and the American Kennel Club do not recognise it as a separate breed, although the United Kennel Club (UKC) in the United States recognised it as such in 2013.The UKC website says: “The American bully breed is recognizable by its characteristic compact, strong, thick-set structure and build. Their appearance reflects a strong American Pit Bull Terrier foundation, blended with stock from other bull breeds.”
The UKC says: “This breed makes an excellent family dog. The ideal American bully possesses the athleticism to do well in performance events.”
But they add: “Aggressive behaviour towards humans is uncharacteristic of the breed and highly undesirable.”
On Monday, Kit Malthouse, a former Home Office minister under Boris Johnson, said he had written about the “menace” of American bullies back in 2009.
He wrote on X: “The dog charities opposed (a ban). Here we go again. This breed is weapons grade.”
In June, Ms. Whitfield told the Daily Mirror: “It’s mind-blowing how it keeps happening. It should never have happened to Jack, but why has nobody learned from this? Innocent people are dying. The government needs to act now. It’s out of control and there are people losing their kids because of this. I want to stop this happening.”
The owners of the American bully which killed Jack were sentenced for failing to keep the dog under control. Brandon Hayden, 19, was jailed for four years and six months and Emma Salter, 29, was sent to prison for three years.Animal Charities Opposed to Breed-Specific Bans
But the RSPCA and several other animal charities say breed-specific bans are counter-productive and often lead to thousands of “innocent” animals being put to sleep.A Dogs Trust spokesman said: “Dogs Trust wants to see the current dog control laws replaced with one consolidated law that allows for early intervention with a focus on the prevention of dog bite incidents and includes measures that deter and punish owners of dogs whose behaviour is dangerous.”
“We will continue to look for reform in existing dog control laws until we are satisfied that any new measures are preventative, breed-neutral and effective, and ultimately protect both dogs and people alike,” they added.
