XL Bullies in the UK: 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 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 England and Wales it has been illegal to breed, sell, advertise, give away or exchange an XL Bully since 31 December 2023, and to own one without a Certificate of Exemption since 1 February 2024 (gov.uk). In Scotland it has been illegal to sell, advertise, gift or exchange an XL Bully since 23 February 2024, and an offence to own one without an exemption certificate since 1 August 2024; Scottish guidance says it is an offence to "sell, give away or rehome an XL Bully" (gov.scot). 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 England, Scotland and Wales: it is against the law to sell, abandon, give away or breed from a banned dog (gov.uk). You can only keep one with a Certificate of Exemption: the dog must be neutered, microchipped, kept on a lead and muzzled in public and kept secure, and its owner must be over 16. Otherwise the penalty is an unlimited fine or up to 6 months in prison, or both, and the dog is destroyed. 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).

You can only keep a banned dog with a Certificate of Exemption, and it is against the law to sell, give away or breed from one (gov.uk). XL Bully rules differ by nation: see gov.uk for England and Wales and the Scottish Government for Scotland. Never list one, on LocalPetFinder or anywhere else.

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.