A few specific dog breeds are banned all across the UK under the Dangerous Dogs Act. Owning a banned breed of dog is an offence and can carry a hefty punishment.

In the UK, the 1991 law currently bans four different breeds of dogs, which are all considered to be dangerous and pose a significant risk to the safety of members of the public.

The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, which was behind the initial law, has previously argued that the Act is essential in managing the risks of dogs against others. Currently, the Act bans four breeds: the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro.

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However, a fifth dog will be added to the list by the end of the year, according to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak - the American XL Bully Dogs. The breed, which has been growing in popularity, was responsible for half of the fatal dog attacks in the UK last year.

Here's a deeper dive into each banned breed...

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Pit Bull Terrier

The Pit Bull Terrier breed originated in the UK and was bred to be a fighter. They were also frequently used to fight bulls and bears for entertainment.

However, after these two bloodsports were banned, the focus for Pit Bull's turned to fighting other dogs. Outside of Britain they also became popular in America where they were commonly used as hunting companions for cattle and hogs while also driving livestock.

In America, they are still commonly used as police dogs, however, there are frequent reports of them being used for illegal dog fighting in the country as well.

Japanese Tosa

The Japanese Tosa, otherwise known as the Tosa Inu, originated in Japan and was purely bred for dog fighting. While it is banned in the UK, it is still legally used for dog fighting in Japan and is the only legal breed to be able to do this in the country.

Dogo Argentino

The Dogo Argentino was bred primarily for dog fighting in Argentina, however, it was also frequently used for hunting large game. The dog has been banned in many parts of the world, however, in places where it isn't banned it often used for search and rescue, police work, blind help dogs, and even military assistance.

Fila Brasileiro

The Fila Brasileiro was bred in Brazil and is mainly used as a guard dog and for big game hunting. The key history behind the dog's renown is quite dark, as it became well known in the 18th century for capturing escaped slaves (the word 'filar' generally means 'to hold, arrest, or grab').

XL Bully

The American XL Bully is a relatively new breed of dog which, unlike many of the other breeds on the banned list, was primarily bred to be a companion animal. Many have argued against the XL Bully being added to the ban list, as it is recognised by many experts that the dog is highly dangerous when improperly raised, but otherwise is a trainable breed in responsible hands.

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