{"id":22421,"date":"2026-04-26T12:06:52","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T12:06:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/22421\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T12:06:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T12:06:52","slug":"xl-bull-ban-dog-breeders-bypassing-prohibition-with-vicious-pocket-bully","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/22421\/","title":{"rendered":"XL bull ban: Dog breeders bypassing prohibition with vicious ‘pocket bully’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dog breeders are bypassing the XL Bully ban by marketing so-called \u201cpocket bullies\u201d, a recent investigation has uncovered. <\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

Experts warn the animals pose similar risks despite their reduced size.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Her devastated family told the newspaper: \u201cMaggie changed us in so many ways. She was everything to us. She gave us meaning and purpose every day, and we feel empty. <\/p>\n

“As parents and a family, we have been robbed of a beautiful lifetime and memories with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Campaigners are now calling for the breed to be banned.<\/p>\n

Amanda Holmes, whose five-year-old son Antonio was seriously injured in a pocket bully attack, said: \u201cThe dog bit Antonio’s face in two places and his thigh, he was in surgery for six hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"American<\/p>\n

Experts warn the American pokcet bully poses similar risks despite their reduced size<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

GETTY<\/p>\n

The mother, from Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, said her son is still struggling and remains under hospital care.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore 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,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n

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

\u201cI would 100 per cent like to see the pocket bully banned,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

DOG ATTACKS – READ THE LATEST:<\/p>\n

\"XL<\/p>\n

Organised criminal networks have been selling XL bully puppies for thousands of pounds<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

GETTY<\/p>\n

Jeffrey Turner, a dangerous dog assessor and expert witness, warned: \u201cPocket bullys are smaller versions of the XL.<\/p>\n

“They can bite. And at the end of the day they are very powerful units.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

However, some experts argue banning breeds will not solve the issue.<\/p>\n

\"XL<\/p>\n

Police figures show 31,920 dog attacks were recorded across England and Wales in 2024<\/p>\n

| PA<\/p>\n

Dog behaviourist Rob Alleyne said irresponsible owners – not the dogs themselves – should be held accountable.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll owners must take responsibility for having their dogs under control,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we need is for those people to be prosecuted, and made examples of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Police figures show 31,920 dog attacks were recorded across England and Wales in 2024 – a two per cent rise on the previous year.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dog breeders are bypassing the XL Bully ban by marketing so-called \u201cpocket bullies\u201d, a recent investigation has uncovered.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22422,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[3434,18,5,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-22421","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uk","8":"tag-animals","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@UnitedKingdom\/116470929309249771","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22421"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22421\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}