Council urges Stormont to assess impact of XL Bully rehoming limits on animal welfare and explore a balanced approach.
New dog laws started in July last year. XL Bully dogs must wear muzzles in public and be on a lead. Owners must keep them secure to prevent escapes, and it is illegal to breed, sell, or give away XL Bullies. Owning one without a certificate is illegal from January 2025.
The council motion says public safety matters most. Any dog can be aggressive, but animal welfare should not suffer. They want the Minister to assess the rehoming rules impact. The council seeks a balanced, evidence-based approach. Forty-six members voted for this, while four voted against it.
The Green Party wanted stronger action at first and opposed the law last year. Their idea called for changing rehoming rules because they felt the law was unnecessary and cruel.
The Green Party believes rehoming restrictions cause healthy animals to die. This harms animals that never showed violence and defies animal welfare laws. They wanted shelters to rehome non-aggressive XL Bullies. This earlier idea was not what the council approved.
Ards and North Down Council approved a similar motion. They want to ease restrictions on the banned breed. The Alliance Party disagreed with the motion. That council will write to the Minister for Agriculture, too. They also think the rehoming ban is cruel and want to allow shelters to rehome friendly XL Bullies.