LAST UPDATE | 12 Jul

THE GOVERNMENT HAS announced a ban on XL Bully dogs.

The ban will be implemented in two phases, the first of which will take effect in October, and then in February of next year.

From October, it will be illegal to breed, import, sell, or rehome the controversial breed.

It means there can be no new owners of XL Bully dogs from October. 

Then from 1 February 2025, it will be illegal to own an XL Bully unless the owner has a Certificate of Exemption, which ensures that a dog has a licence and is microchipped and is neutered.

After this date, any owner not compliant with the new regulations will have their dog seized and euthanized.

The move follows a number of incidents involving attacks by XL Bully dogs, including the death of Nicola Morey by her own XL Bully in Limerick last month.

Announcing the measures, Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys said the ban is “in the interest of public safety following a number of recent horrific attacks by XL Bullies, which included the death of Nicole Morey”.

Humphreys added that the new regulations will ensure that from October, “nobody in Ireland can take ownership of these dangerous dogs and that it will be illegal to breed, sell, import, rehome, exchange, gift or abandon XL Bully dogs”.

She also noted that over the period from October to February 2025 when the second part of the legislation comes into place, all existing XL Bully owners will have to apply for a Certificate of Exemption.

Certificates of Exemption are issued subject to strict criteria, including a requirement for licensing, microchipping and neutering.

Other possible criteria for owning an XL Bully will be discussed with the Stakeholder Group on Dog Control, which was established to advise on these issues.

Humphreys added that her Department will work with the relevant agencies to “ensure effective enforcement of these regulations”.

While Humphreys acknowledged that “a lot of people will not agree with this decision”, she said “we must be mindful that no dog’s life is worth more than human life”.

“Ultimately that is what guided me in making this decision,” said Humphreys.

She noted that the XL Bully was responsible for the attack on Alejandro Mizsan in Wexford in 2022 and was the breed which killed Nicole Morey in Limerick last month.

“If we do not take action now, the number of these dogs in the country will grow and my fear is that these attacks will become more frequent,” said Humphreys.

She also said it is her “strong view that Ireland should not be out of step with neighbouring jurisdictions in Northern Ireland and the UK on this matter”.

The Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) said that it understands that the minister had a difficult decision to make, and it will wait to see how the ban will work “in practical terms”. 

“As a charity our fears are that people will panic and abandon their pets or look at already full rescue centres to rehome them,” it said. 

In March, Humphreys named former Garda Deputy Commissioner John Twomey as the head of a new stakeholder group on dog control.

The group was tasked with examining the restriction of certain breeds of dogs, in line with actions being taken by regions in the UK, including Northern Ireland.

In the North, the first of new laws around XL Bully dogs came into force last week.

The laws in the North are very similar to the ones which will be implemented in the Republic.

Much like the Republic, Northern Ireland is introducing these rules over two phases, and the second phase in the North will come into place on 31 December, when it will become illegal to own an XL Bully without an Exemption Certificate.

XL bullies are already included in the “restricted breed of dog” list in Ireland, but there are currently no bans in place.

Such restrictions mean that while in public, these dogs must be kept on a short lead, muzzled, and wear a collar with the name and address of their owner.

They also must be with someone who is both over 16 and able to control them.