XL bully dogs will be banned in Scotland after the country saw an influx of dogs being abandoned north of the border.
The UK Government banned the breeding, selling or abandonment of the dogs south of the border on December 31.
First Minister Humza Yousaf has now confirmed the Scottish Government will ‘in essence replicate’ UK legislation banning XL bully dogs without a licence.
Mr Yousaf said the decision to replicate the Dangerous Dogs Act will be taken pending a parliamentary statement next week.
He said at First Minister’s Questions: ‘What has become clear, I’m afraid in the last few weeks, is we have seen a flow of XL bully dogs coming to Scotland, a number of people coming to Scotland to bring XL bully dogs here to the country.
XL bully dogs will be banned in Scotland following on from the decision in England and Wales (stock image)
First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf during First Minster’s Questions at the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood, Edinburgh, today
‘As such, we will give further details to members of the Scottish Parliament through a parliamentary statement if the Parliamentary Bureau agrees next week.
‘We will, in essence, replicate the legislation that is in England and Wales here in Scotland because ultimately, although we do have a very good system of dog control notice schemes, and we do take the approach indeed not to breed, we have to respond to the situation as it currently stands and therefore we will do what we need to do to ensure public safety.’
When the issue was raised at First Minister’s Questions on Thursday, Mr Yousaf said the measures in England are not an outright ban on XL bullies as owners can still keep them under certain criteria.
Earlier this week, Scottish community safety minister Siobhian Brown told MSPs the matter was being reviewed ‘urgently’ and said it would be ‘preferable’ if people did not purchase XL bullies.
However the Scottish Conservatives said she should not ‘dither and delay’ on the issue.
Speaking to journalists after FMQs, Mr Yousaf said the UK Government’s measures were announced without consultation with the Scottish Government.
He stressed the importance of carrying out such consultations, saying: ‘The consultation has taken place in relation to the engagement that Siobhian Brown has had with key stakeholders
‘We can’t ignore the fact that over the last few weeks we have seen evidence of that flow of XL bully dogs (to Scotland).
‘We’ll therefore look to replicate some of those safeguards.’
Community Safety Minister Siobhian Brown has met with many different groups including the Scottish SPCA and the Dog’s Trust
Community Safety Minister Siobhian Brown has met with many different groups including the Scottish SPCA and the Dog’s Trust and said that no breed had been banned for 30 years and it is important to listen to expert views.
Ms Brown previously said: ‘The unintended consequences of the UK Government’s policy is that we’re now seeing influx of XL bully dogs coming to Scotland.
‘It is important to ensure Scotland does not become a safe haven or a dumping ground for the XL bully dogs from England and Wales.’
XL Bully owners have been been protesting the Government crackdown on the killer breed by muzzling themselves ‘in solidarity’ with their pets – as they threaten to ‘name and shame’ vets who are destroying the banned dogs.
Some have posted videos of themselves wearing muzzles as they take their dogs out, while others attended a protest in Manchester on Saturday.
Owners of the crossbreed pups rallied in the city centre throughout the afternoon, waving signs that read ‘don’t bully our bullies’ and others that called for the law to be rolled back.
XL Bully owners have protested a Government crackdown on the killer breed by muzzling themselves ‘in solidarity’ with their pets
XL Bully owners gathered in Manchester on Saturday to protest the impending ban on owning the breed without a licence