A Northern Ireland council has made a call for change on XL Bullies legislation to allow the dogs to be rehomed from sanctuaries.
A committee at Ards and North Down Borough Council this week approved a motion forwarded by the Green Party to ease the restrictions on the banned dog breed.
The Alliance Party opposed the motion, which involves the local authority writing to the Minister at the Stormont Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. The current Minister is Alliance MLA Andrew Muir, who was formerly a councillor at Ards and North Down Borough Council.
The vote, which was not recorded, was held at the council’s monthly Environment Committee meeting.
It saw eight elected members in favour of the motion, from parties including the Green Party and the DUP, four against from Alliance, and two abstaining. It will go to the full council meeting later this month for ratification.
The motion states:
“This council recognises that the safety of people and communities is paramount, and that any dog irrespective of breed or type may display aggression.
“However, this council also recognises that the provisions, as set out within the (2024 order, under powers conferred by the 1983 Order) relating to XL Bully dogs, making it an offence to rehome them, is unnecessarily cruel.
“Restriction of rehoming, even by establishments such as rescue centres and animal shelters, is leading to the unnecessary destruction and euthanasia of healthy animals, which have no history of violence or aggression, and goes against the ‘unnecessary suffering’ clause in the Welfare of Animals Act NI 2011.”
The committee agreed the council would write to the DAERA minister outlining its opposition to the continuation of the XL Bully legislation as currently set out, asking the Minister to allow for “managed rehoming by shelters and other specific animal rescue establishments of dogs including those considered to be XL Bullies with no history of aggression or violence, to suitable owners.”
The Dangerous Dogs (Compensation and Exemption Schemes) Order (Northern Ireland) 2024 legislation came into force in July last year. From that date all XL Bully type dogs are required to be muzzled, on a lead when in public, and the dogs must be kept in secure conditions that will stop them from escaping.
It is also illegal to breed, sell, exchange, gift or abandon an XL Bully dog. From January 2025 it became illegal to own an XL Bully without an Exemption Certificate.
Ards and North Down Council said:
“To manage the exemption process, the Neighbourhood Environment Team proactively sought and reached out to the known owners of XL Bully type dogs within the Borough.
“The department conducted a number of house visits, mail drops, contacted owners by telephone and text to ensure all owners were aware of the new legislation, the owners’ responsibilities under that legislation, and to guide them through the exemption application process.
“The Neighbourhood Environment Team have received, processed, and issued 70 Exemption Certificates. This accounts for all licensed XL Bully type dogs in the Borough. This proactive approach has led to a reduction in the risk of such dogs being released or abandoned and mitigated danger to members of the public.
“At a previous Environment Committee, Members asked for details on the total number of dogs licensed within the Borough. Whilst this number varies from day to day due to licence renewals and variations in ownership levels, the number on our system as of 20 January 2025, was 20,360.”