New law for 5 dog breeds takes effect today — owners warned 'don't leave the room'

New law for 5 dog breeds takes effect today — owners warned 'don't leave the room' The new law affecting five dog breeds and around 60,000 dogs is now in place and could lead to a criminal record A new law that owners of five dog breeds need to be aware of takes effect today. One dog trainer with 20 years of experience warns that now "simply nipping to the loo could mean breaking the law for some dog owners". From 1 November 2026, it will be illegal to leave a child under 12 in close contact with certain dogs in a private setting without adult supervision. Dog owners affected are those that own dogs which feature on the UK's banned dogs list. While owning these dogs is prohibited, it is possible to obtain a certificate of exemption to keep them, and tens of thousands of them currently reside across the UK. It is also illegal to sell, abandon, give away or breed from a banned dog. Furthermore, whether your dog is classified as a banned type depends on its physical appearance, rather than its breed or name. Therefore, if authorities determine that your dog matches the characteristics of a banned breed, it may be deemed a banned type. The banned dogs in the UK are: - Pit Bull Terrier - Japanese Tosa - Dogo Argentino - Fila Brasileiro - XL Bully There are a large number of these dogs living across the UK — the XL Bully was not banned until February 2024, while the remaining breeds were all named in the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. The XL Bully was held responsible for the deaths of 23 people in the two years preceding the ban, yet fatalities continued even after it came into effect, reports the Express. By the end of 2024, more than 57,000 were registered with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), though they were being put down at a rate of more than 100 a month at that time. However, these are not the only prohibited dogs residing in Britain. According to the UK Parliament website, in 2021 there were 3,655 Pit Bull Terriers listed on the Index of Exempted Dogs, 20 Dogo Argentino dogs and three Japanese Tosa dogs. Owners who hold a certificate of exemption permitting them to keep any of these banned breeds must comply with stringent regulations throughout the dog's entire life. The dogs must be: - neutered - fitted with a microchip - kept on a lead and muzzled at all times when in public - kept in a secure place so it cannot escape Sharon Bolt, a dog trainer and founder of Good Dogs, said: "Simply nipping to the loo could mean breaking the law for some dog owners! Yes, you read that right! A new legal requirement comes into force on Sunday, 1 November, which says that children under 12 cannot be left in close contact with exempted banned-breed dogs, including XL Bullies, without appropriate adult supervision in their home or garden. "What this means in everyday life is that if you're at home with your young child and dog and need to pop upstairs, have a shower or even nip to the loo, you can't leave them alone together. You'd need to take your child or dog with you, or make sure they're safely separated." What happens if you own a banned dog? If you own a banned dog, the UK Government states that police or local council dog wardens are entitled to seize and detain it, even if it is behaving perfectly safely or no complaints have been made. If the dog is on private property, the police must obtain a warrant to do so. A police or council dog expert will subsequently assess what breed of dog you own and whether it poses, or could pose, a risk to the public. The dog could then be returned to you, placed in kennels or put down. It is the owner's responsibility to demonstrate that their dog is not a prohibited breed. Should you succeed in proving this, a court will order the dog's return. If you are unable to prove it, or admit it is a banned breed, you will be convicted of an offence and could face an unlimited fine or imprisonment for up to six months (or both). Your dog will also be destroyed.