Having utilised his political and veterinary expertise, as the only vet in the Commons, Dr Neil Hudson MP secured official confirmation from the Environment Secretary that his calls for the neutering deadline to be extended for XL Bully Dogs have been answered.
Delivering on the Government's pledge to take quick and decisive action to protect the public from the spate of devastating XL Bully attacks - that sadly resulted in serious injury and death - Dr Hudson supported adding the breed to the Dangerous Dogs Act. Now it is illegal to own an XL Bully Dog unless it complies with strict rules including being neutered, and being muzzled and on a leash in public.
While Dr Hudson supports the ban, he has been at the forefront of finetuning the legislation and working on a longer body of work to reform dog ownership.
This week, his campaigning bore fruit, with an extension to the neutering deadline for XL Bullies up until 30th June 2025. Neutering these dogs under the age of 18 months can pose significant problems to orthopaedic developmental, as well as a range of other medical conditions. Dr Hudson wrote to the Environment Secretary alongside his colleagues on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee stating such in December and made an intervention in the House of Commons in February.
In the Chamber, Environment Secretary Steve Barclay, said:
"I can also confirm to the House that I have acted on the representations of the Honourable Member for Penrith and The Border [Dr Neil Hudson MP] in terms of extending the neutering deadline for XL bully dogs under seven
months on 30th January 2024, until the 30th June 2025."
Speaking afterwards, Dr Neil Hudson MP said:
"It was public safety that demanded emergency legislation on XL bully dogs, and it is the welfare of these animals that demanded this amendment. I therefore thank the Environment Secretary, as ever, for taking advice from academics, charities and politicians such as myself and implementing this evidence-based decision to extend the neutering deadline.
"Having enacted decisive emergency legislation, we now have the time to work on a longer body of work to tackle dangerous dog ownership and that is exactly what I intend to do. I will absolutely continue to push on the public's priorities such as tackling illicit breeders, improving responsible ownership, and making sure rehoming charities have the support they need."
