Demand for Legal Pocket Bullies Rises After 2024 XL Bully Restrictions

Demand for pocket bullies has surged since restrictions on XL Bullies came into force at the start of 2024, GB News reported. Online marketplaces are flooded with listings for these smaller but genetically similar dogs, which remain legal.

Three-month-old Maggie-May Ann Moody died in Redcar, North Yorkshire, after being allegedly killed by a dog described as a pocket bully-type. Her family stated: “Maggie changed us in so many ways. She was everything to us.

She gave us meaning and purpose every day, and we feel empty. The incident has fueled calls from campaigners to ban the breed. Five-year-old Antonio was seriously injured in a pocket bully attack in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire.

The dog bit Antonio's face in two places and his thigh. He underwent surgery for six hours and remains under hospital care. Amanda Holmes, Antonio's mother, stated: “Before the attack, he was a happy little boy - now he's having nightmares, wetting the bed and terrified.

He's a different child... Holmes described the lasting impact on her son from the attack. Karen Hawthornthwaite, 55, from Darwen, Lancashire, developed PTSD after witnessing her lhasa apso Benji being fatally attacked by a pocket bully.

Hawthornthwaite's experience highlights concerns over the breed's aggression. Police figures show 31,920 dog attacks were recorded across England and Wales in 2024, representing a two percent rise on the previous year. Three incidents involving other bully variants were recorded in the first two weeks of April.

Despite a drop in XL Bully-related deaths, attacks involving other variants continue, GB News reported. Jeffrey Turner, a dangerous dog assessor and expert witness, stated: “Pocket bullys are smaller versions of the XL. They can bite.