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By Matt Murphy
BBC News
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced that the American bully XL dog will be banned, following a spate of recent attacks.
A man died after a suspected attack by an American bully XL in Walsall on Thursday. And an 11-year-old girl, along with two men, were attacked by an American bully XL in Bordesley Green, Birmingham, on Saturday.
The prime minister said the dogs would be banned by the end of the year under a law that applies in England, Wales and Scotland - once work had been done to define the breed.
Owners, however, insist that despite their fearsome appearance and build, the dogs make loveable household pets.
What is the American bully?
American bullies are said to have originated in the US in the late 1980s, when American pit bull terriers and American Staffordshire terriers were crossed.
There are four variations: standard, pocket, classic and XL.
The XL can weigh more than nine stone (60kg) and are strong enough to overpower an adult.
The American bully is regarded as a specific breed in the US. However it is not recognised as such by the main British dog associations, such as the Kennel Club.
Bully Watch, a group of London-based policy experts, told BBC News the breed first appeared in the UK "around 2014 or 2015", and that numbers grew rapidly during the pandemic.
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