Dog attacks are still rising - even after the XL bully ban

16 hours ago Share Save Jim Connolly and NJ Convery Share Save

BBC

Michael Carpenter was packing up after a camping trip in the Leicestershire countryside with a big group of friends earlier this year, when a woman in his party realised she'd lost her car keys. He said he'd help her find them. As they searched around her car, Michael says that her dog - which had been sitting inside on the passenger seat - jumped out of the window and bit him. "I hit it and it ran round and attacked me again," says Michael. "I tried to kick it again, lost my balance and then the owner managed to call it back - I'd be dead if that hadn't happened." It was, he believes, a banned XL bully dog. Michael, who is 58 from Birmingham, says he went to hospital where he was x-rayed and given a tetanus injection, and though he reported it to police he decided not to pursue it. Instead, he shared what happened via Your Voice, Your BBC News, concerned about the levels of irresponsible dog ownership in the country - and the number of attacks despite the XL bully ban.

Michael Carpenter recalls a dog attack: 'The owner managed to call it back - I'd be dead if that hadn't happened'

In all, there were 31,920 dog attacks on people recorded in England and Wales in 2024 - a 2% increase on 2023, according to Freedom of Information figures obtained from police forces. And this may not even show the full picture, as three police forces did not provide useable data. All this is despite the XL bully ban that came into force in February 2024. The ban was intended to help reduce the number of people injured by dogs, only the overall figures have continued rising.

Part of the problem is just how divisive this issue is. The sheer level of polarity makes agreeing on a solution extremely difficult - as does the highly emotional nature