XL Bullies in Belfast: the law on rescue and rehoming

No. The XL Bully is a banned type in the UK, so no rescue can legally rehome one, and we never list one. Rescues in and around Belfast do rehome legal breeds such as Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Bull Terriers, American Bulldogs, Boxers and British Bulldogs.

The XL Bully was added to section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in England and Wales from 31 December 2023 and in Scotland from 23 February 2024. It is one of five banned types in the UK: Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and XL Bully (gov.uk). Whether a dog is banned "depends on what it looks like, rather than its breed or name", so a cross, or a dog listed under another label, can still be a banned type. An XL Bully is defined by its looks, not its name: a dog at least 20 inches (51cm) at the withers for an adult male or 19 inches (48cm) for a female, with a substantial number of the physical characteristics in the official XL Bully standard. Scotland uses the same standard. In Northern Ireland "it is illegal to rehome, sell or transfer ownership of XL Bully type dogs", and owning one without an exemption certificate has been an offence since 1 January 2025 (nidirect). In Northern Ireland the same five types are banned, and it is "an offence to breed, sell, offer for sale or make a gift of a dog of a banned type" (nidirect).

Northern Ireland has its own rules and exemption scheme: see nidirect. Never give away or rehome a banned dog yourself, and never list one.

Rescues rehome many strong, people-focused dogs that are not banned types: Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Bull Terriers, American Bulldogs, Boxers and British Bulldogs, and crossbreeds of every kind. Each rescue assesses its dogs before rehoming, and a dog with the characteristics of a banned type can't be rehomed whatever its label.