Dangerous and banned dogs
It is against the law to allow a dog to be ‘dangerously out of control’ anywhere, for example:
- in a public place
- in a private place, such as a neighbour’s house or garden
- in the owner’s home
A dog is considered ‘dangerously out of control’ if:
- it injures someone, or a person believes they may be hurt
- it injures an assistance dog
A court could also decide that your dog is dangerously out of control if:
- it attacks someone’s animal
- the owner of an animal thinks they could be injured if they tried to stop your dog attacking their animal
A farmer is allowed to shoot a dog if it's worrying their livestock. (The Animals Act 1971 / Dogs Protection of Livestock Act 1963)
Banned dog breeds
The law lists four breeds of banned dogs:
- Pit Bull Terrier
- Japanese Tosa
- Dogo Argentino
- Fila Braziliero
- XL Bully
You may not own, breed from, sell, give away or abandon any banned dog. The police may seize your dog if they think it is a banned type (Dangerous Dogs Act, 1991, Section 1).
You can find more information about banned dogs on the Gov.UK web site.