A BAN on XL bully won’t stop drug kingpins from selling “deadly weapon” hell hounds, an expert has claimed.
From today, it is a criminal offence to own an XL Bully dog in England and Wales without a certificate.
The RSPCA previously warned criminals had been breeding and selling these dogs to launder money and make huge sums, often at the expense of animal welfare.
Last year it was revealed that drug kingpin Thomas Rayment was running Muscletone Bullys UK - a company selling bulked-up Bully puppies - while serving six years in prison.
Meanwhile, other thugs, running backyard breeders, boasted about feeding their dogs muscle-building drugs, using steroid shots and even ran “bite work” sessions to create monster hounds.
Man fined £165 after outraging the internet by dying puppy to look like Pikachu
Now, criminologist David Wilson has revealed he believes the ban will do nothing to stop thugs from continuing these practices.
The hounds boost the thugs' street cred, and make them figures of fear.
Speaking to The Sun, he explained: “Simply by banning the dogs there's a belief that the problem will disappear but obviously that will not happen.
“There was a war on drugs but there are obviously still major problems with drugs in this country.
“These sort of bans simply just push things further underground. Banning is an understandable but not very effective strategy in this race.
“These issues are often about broader problems the criminal justice system in itself can’t tackle.
“Animals have strange connection in our culture. Why is it that young men want to have these bigger and more aggressive dogs? So often it is because they are performing masculinity.
“It's a very complex issue and that’s why simply banning it seems like a naive response.”
Before the ban was announced, hundreds of XL Bully “training” videos had been uploaded to TikTok.
One account, BiteWorkBully, showcased videos of an owner training his dogs to bite a man wearing protective gear in a playground in central London.
Dog who 'always melts hearts' with his smile hopes to find a loving family
Another user showed how he would slap his dog repeatedly in the face to provoke it into an attack.
It follows restrictions coming into force at the end of last year which dictated the dogs must be kept on a lead and muzzled in public.
New laws prohibiting the killer breed were formally laid in Parliament under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
Breeding, selling or abandoning the dogs also became illegal as of December 31, 2023.
To qualify for an exemption certificate, owners must prove their XL Bully has been neutered by June 30.
The deadline to apply for a certificate was yesterday.
If the pup is less than a year old by Wednesday, they must be neutered by the end of 2024, and evidence must be provided.
As well as neutering their animals, XL Bully owners seeking an exemption must also pay an application fee, hold third party public liability insurance for their pets and ensure the dogs are microchipped.
The Government move to ban the breed followed a series of attacks involving XL Bullies, with one man dying after being savaged by one of the dogs last year.
Anyone who defies the ban faces up to 14 years behind bars.
Under the strict legislation breeding, selling, advertising, rehoming, abandoning and allowing an XL Bully dog to stray will be illegal.
They could also be disqualified from ownership or their dangerous dogs may be euthanised.
