The dogs banned in UK as call for American XL Bully breed to be added to the list

The Cabinet minister is pushing for the move, arguing the American XL Bully breed presents a “clear and lethal danger,” particularly to children.

It comes following the attack of an 11-year-old girl, and two men who tried to help, in Birmingham on Sunday.

West Midlands Police is investigating the incident and an arrest has been made today.

Ms Braverman is campaigning to add the American XL Bully breed to banned breed list, writing on social media following the incident: “This is appalling. The American XL Bully is a clear and lethal danger to our communities, particularly to children. We can’t go on like this. I have commissioned urgent advice on banning them.”

The list of banned breeds was drawn up by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), with the legislation also meaning that it is against the law to have a dog that is dangerously out of control, regardless of breed.

However, due to the dog not being recognised as a specific breed by the Kennel Club, there are concerns that the ban would be difficult to define and lead to the outlaw of a range of other dogs.

The attack has since reopened the debate on dangerous dogs and whether more breeds need to be added to the UK’s banned list.

Which dog breeds are banned in the UK?

The Dangerous Dog Act was introduced in 1991 following a spate of fatal incidents involving dogs.

Under the legislation, there are four types of dog breed currently banned in the UK:

*Pitbull Terrier: There were 15 fatal attacks in England and Wales from 1981 to 1991, resulting in them being banned.

*Japanese Tosa: The Japanese Tosa was originally bred as a fighting dog, and they are now considered near-impossible to come by.

*Dogo Argentino: The muscular dog was developed in Argentina primarily as hunting animals.

*Fila Brasileiro: Also known as the Brazilian Mastiff are known for hunting and are often believed to be aggresive.

What happens to banned dogs?

According to the RSPCA: “Dogs suspected of being a banned type are typically seized by the police who unfortunately have no choice but to implement the law. The dogs will be held in kennels whilst being assessed to determine if they’re a banned type.

"They’ll be examined by an expert using a set of standards which are mainly based on appearance. Genetics or parentage aren’t taken into consideration.”

The RSPCA says that banned types cannot be rehomed: “Dogs that are found to be of a prohibited type cannot legally be rehomed with members of the general public and so the only option is euthanasia. Since 2016, we have had to euthanise over 374 dogs because of how they look and despite many having the potential to make great family pets.”