Exact date XL Bullies to be banned is revealed following spike in 'savage' attacks

Buying an XL bully dog will be illegal from October 1 following the nationwide outrage after a woman was mauled to death earlier this year.

Breeding, selling, rehoming or importing an XL Bully will be illegal from the date of the initial ban. Then, from February 1, it will be a criminal offence to own an XL Bully in Ireland, unless you have an exemption certificate.

The move, which will bring Ireland in line with the laws in Britain and the North, is set to be announced today by Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys.

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Exemption certs will be issued only to owners who can prove their XL Bully has been neutered, microchipped and has a dog licence.

Owners who do not follow these rules face having their dogs destroyed.

Those flouting the new regulations could also be fined or jailed for up to three months, or both, if they do not have the correct documents, under new plans from Social Protection Minister ­Heather Humphreys.

The XL bully will be the first dog to be banned in Ireland. Previously, no breeds were banned, with owners simply having to abide by restrictions on certain breeds.

These included that the owners had to be over 16, and the dogs had to be muzzled in public, kept on strong leads or a chain and always had to wear collars containing the contact information of the animal’s owners.

The move comes after what Government sources called ‘deeply concerning incidents’ in recent times, including the death of Nicole Morey in Limerick last month and the savage attack on a young boy, Alejandro Mizsan, in Wexford in 2022.

Ms Morey was mauled by two XL Bullies in her home in Limerick and suffered catastrophic injuries.

Despite the efforts of emergency services, she was pronounced dead at the scene.