*** STATEMENT ON THE ‘XL BULLY’ BAN ***
Hi everyone,
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We have been closely following the progress and discussions around the upcoming ‘XL Bully’ ban. Firstly, we wanted to say how sorry we are for current owners and the situation they find themselves in; it must be terribly scary for you and your pooches.
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Regardless of our personal opinions, as a business we are governed by DEFRA and our insurance policies; both of which we must follow in terms of legislation. The government have not yet stated whether we are allowed to board dogs on the banned breed list as the last time a dog was banned, boarding licensing didn’t exist. We are keeping a close look out for any changes to boarding licensing guidance to see if any new rules are being added. Our field hire service is not a licensed activity, however, we are unsure if our secure private field hire is still classed as a ‘Public’ space to the government.
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We have already had an update from our insurance company stating that banned breeds will be covered as long as the mandatory exempt rules are followed. These rules are:
1. The dog is registered with the index of exempted dog (IED) and a copy of the life certificate is obtained and provided to us.
2. A copy of the public liability insurance certificate for the dog is obtained and provided to us.
3. The dog handler ratio is 1:1 at all times.
4. All guidelines under the index of exempted dogs are strictly adhered to and the dog must be: Neutered, Micro-Chipped, Kept on a lead and muzzled at all times, Kept in a secure place so it cannot escape.
In short, we are still as confused as you at the moment in terms of what DEFRA expects from us as a boarding establishment and also whether banned breeds can use facilities such as secure field hire. We will keep you all updated when we find out more.
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All the best,
Early Paws