Following the government recently announcing a ban on XL Bully type dogs, we have been reviewing our policy on these dogs being kept in LiveWest homes. 

View the full government guidance on the ban and what owners should be doing to prepare. 

At LiveWest we understand the benefits of a pet for many of our customers, and how the recent announcement of a ban may have been a distressing time for responsible XL Bully type dog owners. However, we do respect that some of our customers are worried for the safety of themselves and their families. 

Our Pet Champions, who play an important role in making decisions around pet ownership, have been reviewing the government guidelines. Following their review, it has been decided that:

• With immediate effect, we will not consent to new pet requests to keep XL Bully type dogs that will be included on the list of banned dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act from 31 December 2023.
• We will not be withdrawing our consent to keep XL Bully type dogs for existing owners. However, this is on the understanding that they register them and follow the full government guidance on responsible ownership. This includes having an exemption certificate, and ensuring dogs are on a lead and muzzled in public. This will apply to our existing customers and new customers. 

These decisions have been carefully considered and are in line with the RSPCA position to avoid the need to destroy healthy, much loved, family pets. Please see more on the government website on caring for pets. 

We will continue to work closely with the Police Dog Legislation Officers to enable us to respond appropriately to any concerns that may arise. 

Pets Champions Chris Inman and Checkie Taylor said: “LiveWest are a pet friendly landlord, however we understand the need to ensure that all of our customers are satisfied, therefore we will not consent to any new requests to keep XL Bully type dogs. We are aware of those customers who currently own XL Bully type dogs and we will be encouraging those customers to fully comply with the new legislation regarding their dogs.”