Birmingham dog attack: People react as ‘lethal’ American Bully XL breed faces ban

UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman has vowed to ban the American Bully XL breed of dogs after an out-of-control dog attacked a child and two adults in Birmingham. The video of the attack was shared online and it has shocked and terrified people across the country.

The video shows the dog biting the girl’s arms before a man pulled it off of her. The girl escaped to a nearby store for safety and the dog was held down but got free and attacked another person.

West Midlands Police are currently investigating after three people were bitten by an American Bully XL in Birmingham on Saturday (September 9).

An 11-year-old girl was bitten when she ran past the dog, which was being walked by its owner in Bordesley Green. Two men intervened but were bitten and left with injuries to their shoulders and arms. They were taken to hospital to be treated for their injuries. Police said the girl sustained similar injuries, but they are not thought to be life-threatening.

The terrifying moment three people are attacked by an American Bully XL dog in Birmingham

The unleashed dog can be seen running through a busy market area before lunging on people to attack them in Birmingham.

What Home Secretary Suella Braverman said on banning American XL Bullys

Ms Braverman wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: "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."

Former Justice Secretary Sir Robert Buckland also said: "I am deeply concerned by the rise of attacks on people, pets and livestock by XL Bully dogs . The government should take action and ban these dogs."

The American Bully XL is not on the banned list of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra). It is illegal to own, breed or sell dogs on the banned list.

Several people have died from attacks by the American XL Bully in the UK over the last few years with the latest death taking place in Greater Manchester. Jonathan Hogg, 37, was killed in Leigh and the dog was destroyed after an investigation took place.

How people reacted to the call for ban on American XL Bullys

Emma Whitfield, the mother of a boy, Jack Lis, who was killed this breed of dog said on X: “It’s crazy how this video has gone viral and now politicians are coming out of the woodwork saying how bad it is. Where were you when my son was killed? Where were you when other innocent people were killed? Where were you when I was at Parliament asking for change? Nowhere.

“If you’re going to do something please do it. Stop pussyfooting around the ‘breed neutral’ bull crap and do something! Maybe you can do this and work on the backyard breeders and the thuggish owners ruining lives too. Thank you to so many people/organisations for helping bring the issues to light, because it seems none of those in charge who could make changes wanted to listen to the victims families before now.”

Author Louise Mullins wrote: “Please stop confusing American Bulldogs (known as Nanny Dogs) because they’re highly intelligent working farm dogs that are soppy and lack bite, with XL Bullys (which are Pitbull, Dogo Argentino, Bull Mastiff, Cane Corsco, and American Bulldog mix). Wrong information is creating mass hysteria and giving good digs a bad reputation. Please don’t ban yet another breed because some people are irresponsible. XL Bullys don’t kill in America because young men don’t buy them and train them to fight. The dogs are not the problem. Allowing under 18s to buy, breed and leave dogs off leash is. Make leashes mandatory in public.”

Another person added: “Introduce mandatory certification before people can own any dog. It is always about the owners, not the dogs.”

One X user wrote: “It’s the type of owners. You can ban this breed and they will move onto another. The rise in people getting Cane Corsos which are amazing dogs but difficult to train will come next. The route cause it bad owners not bad breeds.”