Scotland confirms it WILL ban XL Bully dogs after owners in England and Wales moved pets across border

The Scottish Government has confirmed it will bring in a ban on XL Bully dogs after pet owners in England and Wales moved their dogs across the border ahead of a ban coming into force at the end of last year.

XL Bullies were added to the list of banned breeds in England and Wales at the end of last year and it will soon be a legal requirement for owners who want to keep their pets to have a certificate of exemption. The dogs must also now be kept on a lead and muzzled in public and it is illegal to breed, sell, give away or exchange the dogs.

The ban only applies in England and Wales currently and the government in Scotland had previously said it was exploring the option to bring in similar rules. Today, however, it was confirmed that the Scottish government will replicate the rules in England and Wales.

READ MORE: XL Bully dog owners in Greater Manchester warned animals could be seized in less than a fortnight if unregistered

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It comes after stories emerged of dog owners south of the border moving their pets to homes in Scotland to avoid the ban. One man from the West Midlands said he had driven hundreds of miles delivering at least 30 XL Bully dogs to rehoming centres in Scotland.

Asked last week how many of the dogs had been brought to Scotland, a spokesperson for first minister Humza Yousaf was unable to provide a figure. Speaking to reporters after First Minister's Questions, the spokesperson said: "We have to deal with the reality that we’re in. We’re reading reports that you guys are writing about potentially lots of dogs coming over the border and we have to make sure we have safeguards in place to deal with that. It’s a balance and we’ve taken a decision