Motion to approve the Dangerous Dogs (Mixed Breed Bulldog) Regulations 2023

This House approves:

(1) The Draft Mixed Breed Bulldog Regulations 2023

This Motion was submitted by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, His Grace the Duke of Dorset Sir /u/Rea-wakey KCT KT KD KCMG KBE MVO FRS on behalf of His Majesty’s 33rd Government.

Opening Speech:

Deputy Speaker, I am a proud dog person. Dogs are typically a wonderful addition to any home, and this nation’s love of its dogs permeates throughout society.

However, as Home Secretary it is my principal role to ensure the safety of the people of the United Kingdom. And despite being a dog person, I cannot ignore the pleas of victims, dog behavioural specialists and veterinarians who are calling for urgent restrictions to the hybrid dog species known as Bully XLs, originating from American Bulldogs.

For the past 25 years, the UK averaged 3 deaths from dogs per year. Last year there were 10 deaths, with 7 of these connected to Bully XLs. This year there’s already been 5 deaths noted, with all of them suspected of having a connection to Bully XLs. Dog deaths are not recorded, but there have been countless stories of small dogs in local community groups literally being ripped apart to death in front of their owner’s eyes. And of course, non-fatal attacks by Bully XLs are becoming more widespread too.

I warn the House in advance of these horror stories, but I hope they highlight the urgency of the situation:

Bella-Rae Birch, one, was sadly mauled to death by her dad’s American Bully XL at home in St Helens, only a week after her dad bought it in March 2022.

Jack Lis, 10, was savaged by an eight-stone dog called Beast in November 2021. Such was the scale of the brutality, his mum said that she had to identify her boy by a shoe, following the attack.

In August 2022, 34-year-old Ian Symes was killed with “catastrophic” neck injuries after a 52kg XL Bully jumped him. He had acquired the hound through Snapchat.

Jonathan Hogg, a 37-year-old father, was dogsitting the same breed for a friend when it fatally attacked him.

Dog regulation is always a subject of intense debate, as many believe that it is usually the dog owners who are the problem, rather than the dogs themselves. In this, I tend to agree. However, where there is clear evidence that a dog breed is volatile in nature, bred for a specific purpose to be a certain size, and leading to a disproportionate number of attacks and deaths - that is when it is my duty to intervene.

Specialists agree with this assessment. Stan Rawlinson, one of the dog behaviorists who was called as an expert witness to the original 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act has gone on the record to say that the breed is “very, very reactive”. He also stated “we averaged three dog attack deaths a year for the last 25 years. From that, we had ten last year with up to seven related to the XL Bully. This is only going to get worse. They could kill you in about a minute and the worst thing is no one knows how many there are in the UK. There are at least thousands but we just don’t know for sure. Amateurs are tinkering with DNA, giving these dogs enhanced muscles, trying to create monsters. And they’ve managed it. It’s going to get considerably worse.”

The time for acting is now, Madame Speaker, in order to prevent dog attacks from these breeds going into the future. I fear many more attacks are to come, but we must tackle the root cause of the problem now.

I commend this Motion and these regulations to the House.