Alex Green
BBC News

Image source, William Darling

A man whose guide dog was attacked by an American bully XL dog is calling for more regulation around dog aggression.

Steve Darling, leader of the Liberal Democrat group at Torbay Council in Devon, said his dog Jennie suffered bites and scratches in the attack on 10 August.

Darling, who is registered blind, said it took himself and three others to pull the dog away from Jennie.

He said he had written to the Home Office to call for "more effective enforcement and early interventions", but also said he opposes banning specific dogs.

The attack, which happened in Torquay, was reported to police at the time. The BBC has approached Devon and Cornwall Police for more information.

• Read more here

Riyah Collins
BBC Newsbeat

Image source, Jake Higgs

American bully XL owner Jake Higgs says any ban would be "heartbreaking".

"It's such a drastic thing to happen," the 26-year-old tells BBC Newsbeat.

"It’s devastating for me and other bully owners out there that haven’t done anything wrong."

Jake, who lives in Tamworth, says his bully XL Bane is 18 months old and is "so tame and calm".

"He's got the temperament of a Labrador.

"They’re so much kinder and gentle than what they're portrayed to be."

He says he can "completely understand" the reaction to the news of increased dog attacks but says “it’s easy to tarnish all dogs with the same brush".

"I think we should be looking more at the owner," he adds.

As we've been reporting, American bully XL dogs are expected to be banned in the UK by the end of the year.

But they have already been banned in other countries.

American bullies are illegal in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

The breed is also restricted in some countries, including the Republic of Ireland, where any American Bully must be muzzled and on a leash no longer than 2m (6ft 7in) when out in public.

Charlotte Simpson
BBC Newsbeat

Image source, Charlotte Towner

Charlotte Towner owns a two-year-old American bully XL called Coco.

She says a ban wouldn't "eradicate the problem" and thinks they only get bad publicity because of how they look.

"I mean, don't get me wrong, my girl's weighing in at 60kg. But she's 60kg of love," she tells BBC Newsbeat.

"I just think don't judge a book by its cover, before you before you decide to make the ban perhaps come and meet other dogs like Coco that are getting the bad name when they really don't deserve it."

Charlotte, who lives in Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, says Coco is well behaved around her 18-month-old daughter.

"She knows not to be playful, she knows not to bounce around and all she ever does is just give her kisses.

"Coco is the best behaved dog I've ever owned and I've owned a fair few. I've owned poodles, Labradors, even owned a Rottweiler.

The UK's leading animal groups have issued a joint statement saying that banning American bully XLs "will sadly not stop" dog attacks.

The Dog Control Coalition is made up of RSPCA, Blue Cross, Battersea, Dogs Trust, Hope Rescue, Scottish SPCA, The Kennel Club and British Veterinary Association.

It's urging the government "to tackle the root issue by dealing with the unscrupulous breeders, who are putting profit before welfare, and the irresponsible owners whose dogs are dangerously out of control".

The coalition claims the proposed ban will have "significant impacts on owners, the animal welfare sector, vets, law enforcement and the public".

It adds that it's "deeply concerned about the lack of data" behind the decision to ban these types of dogs.

It is unclear exactly how a ban on XL bullies would work. Downing Street said there had been "no final decision" on what will happen to people who already own them.

No 10 was not able to say whether XL bullies dogs would be destroyed.

When pit bull terriers were banned in the 1990s, there was an "amnesty period" to allow owners to keep them under certain conditions. When that came to an end, owning one became an offence.

The introduction of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 saw the breeding, selling or gifting of banned breeds unless going abroad - prohibited, while the dogs had to be muzzled and on a lead when in public.

After the end of the amnesty period it became illegal to own a banned breed unless certain exemptions were met. In 1991 those included dogs being castrated or spayed, microchipped and tattooed, with owners also required to have insurance.

The act gives the government the power to ban any breed appearing "to be bred for fighting or to have the characteristics of a type bred for that purpose".

The American bully XL is not specifically recognised by the Kennel Club, and banning it under existing legislation could prove challenging as the breed is extremely difficult to explicitly define.

Fears had previously been raised suggesting that outlawing the American bully would inadvertently outlaw a range of other dogs.

Jonathan Fagg
BBC England Data Unit

Hospitals are seeing a rise in dog bites, data from NHS Digital suggests.

In the year ending March 2023, they had recorded 9,336 episodes in which someone in hospital was given care due to having been struck or bitten by a dog.

That is up 6% from 8,819 in the 12 months prior, and is the highest annual total in the 16 years of available data.

The data is recorded as episodes and not patients because one person may have received multiple episodes of care in the same year.

A resident living near the scene of yesterday's attack said that in March, a woman and her dog had been seen being chased into a shop by the same two dogs which had killed Ian Price.

"It was carnage - the two dogs were after her dog," the local, who wished to remain anonymous, said. "I think they had taken a few nips at him."

"The woman was hysterical but she was unhurt," they added.

The resident said police had been called to the incident, which also saw customers jumping over the shop's counter for protection, and the dogs' owner had been given a caution.

Another resident, David Morrell, said: "This morning, to find out that two dogs have attacked a guy in the street is just totally shocking."

Image source, Staffordshire Police

Police say their investigation into the "horrendous" dog attack on Ian Price continues at pace.

Both dogs involved in the fatal attack, understood to be XL bullies, are dead, Staffordshire Police said.

One of the dogs died after being restrained and the other died after an injection was given by a vet.

The force added it was supporting local residents and it understood the "shock and upset" felt in the village of Stonnall.

A man who died after suffering multiple injuries in an attack by two suspected American bully XLs has been named as Ian Price.

The 52-year-old was left in a critical condition after being attacked by the dogs in Stonnall, near Walsall, Staffordshire yesterday.

He was taken to Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital but later confirmed dead.

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

It seems this has been the final straw for the PM as he had been under some pressure to act on these dogs over the past few days and the increasing number of incidents which have been reported.

The home secretary warned these animals are a lethal danger.

Suella Braverman clearly wanted action, but she is not responsible for that policy - that is a job for the environment secretary who I am told has been working behind the scenes on some details of a ban.

It is a ban incidentally which Labour supports as well. But, it is quite a difficult thing to bring about because if they want action under the Dangerous Dogs Act they have to try define the American XL bully as a breed - it is not officially a breed at the moment.

There are fears by some dog owners other similar pets might be caught up inadvertently.

Finally, the RSPCA think this is a flawed approach. They insist politicians should be focusing on the actions of dogs and their owners rather than a blanket ban on a particular type of dog.

Image source, Getty Images

The American bully XL would be the fifth breed of dog to be banned in the UK. It's currently illegal to own, sell, give away or breed the following dogs:

• American pit bull terrier
• Japanese tosa
• Dogo Argentino
• Fila Brasileiro

Dogs that share physical characteristics to the banned breeds - such as cross breeds - are also banned.

Labour has reacted to today's announcement by supporting a ban on American bully XL dogs, while also criticising the prime minister for "dithering" over outlawing the cross-breed.

Shadow Environment Secretary Steve Reed believes the dogs leave "a trail of destruction in communities up and down the country".

"Labour MPs have long called for these dogs to be banned," he adds.

"Families will be furious that it has taken this long for Rishi Sunak to finally act.

"But, if Rishi Sunak continues to dither, the next Labour government will do the right thing and ban these dogs causing terror."

Emma Whitfield lost her 10-year-old son Jack Lis when an American bully XL dog called "Beast" attacked and killed him in Wales two years ago.

Jack suffered "unsurvivable" injuries to the head and neck at a house in Caerphilly.

Emma been campaigning since and has advocated for an XL bully ban.

“I’m honestly in shock," she told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"I didn’t think I’d get listened to when I got started. I’m lost for words. It’s been a hard fight, to show what these dogs are capable of.”

While Emma doesn’t doubt there are “good examples of the breed”, she argues there are too many injuries and fatalities attributed to American bully XL dogs, which “you don’t see from other breeds”.

She adds: “You can’t argue with that. The bad breeders and the bad owners have done this, this is on them.”

Vanessa Pearce
BBC News

The leader of a school close to the scene of yesterday's fatal attack has described how children were kept inside "for their own security".

Pupils had started leaving St Peter's Primary Academy when staff were advised by police to alert parents to bring children back inside.

"The gates were locked until later on in the day when police notified us it was safe," said Zoe Heath, director of St Chad's academy trust which runs the school.

"This is a small community, a very close-knit community, so it is a shock when something like this happens."

Jonathan Fagg
BBC England Data Unit

Police are recording more offences in which an out-of-control dog causes injury.

That is what our investigation in March found: last year almost 22,000 such offences were recorded, according to FOI responses from 37 forces across England and Wales.

That's up about 34% from just over 16,000 offences recorded in 2018.

West Midlands Police recorded a larger percentage rise than that overall figure. In 2022 they had 1,112 cases, up 66% from 671 in 2018.

The PM said earlier experts and police would work together to "accurately define the breed" and powers would be used in the Dangerous Dogs Act to ban American XL bully dogs.

Rishi Sunak said it was clear the American XL bullies were "a danger to communities" and a ban was needed.

Image source, PA Media

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said American XL bullies are "a threat to life" and "cause misery in our communities", which is why the government is taking action to ban them.

"In the meantime, I expect police to use all available powers to protect the public from these beasts," she says.

She has added that the death of the man who was attacked by two dogs in Stonnall "underlines the need" for the ban.

Braverman said earlier this week she was seeking "urgent advice" on banning "lethal" American bully XL dogs after footage was posted online of an attack on an 11-year-old girl in Birmingham on Saturday.

Vanessa Pearce
BBC News

In a separate incident, police in the West Midlands confirmed earlier that a woman had been arrested after a 10-year-old boy was attacked and injured by a Staffordshire bull terrier.

He was treated in hospital for injuries to his arm after the attack in Bentley Drive, Walsall, on Wednesday, police said.

The dog was seized and had since been destroyed, said West Midlands Police.

The 60-year-old woman was detained on suspicion of possession of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury. She has been released with a caution.

Officers said they believed the dog had managed to get out of his owner's home without her knowing.

Marita Moloney
Live reporter

The prime minister says work has begun on banning American XL bully dogs in the UK following recent attacks. Let's take stock of what we've heard today so far:

• Rishi Sunak says these cross-breed dogs will be outlawed by the end of year, so "we can end these violent attacks and keep people safe"
• He made the announcement following yesterday's "tragic" attack which led to a man dying in Stonnall, Staffordshire
• Police have since said they believe the two dogs involved in the attack are XL bullies, with further tests ongoing to determine their breed
• A 30-year-old man has further been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after originally being arrested on suspicion of having dogs dangerously out of control
• Debate has been reignited in recent weeks about banning American XL bully dogs after a spate of attacks, including on an 11-year-old girl in Birmingham
• We're gathering experts to answer your questions about these dogs and what the ban will mean for owners, and you can also watch our coverage of today's announcement live at the top of this page