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A ban on XL Bully dogs comes into force across Wales and England on December 31.

It means it will be illegal to breed, sell, advertise, exchange, gift, rehome, abandon or allow XL Bully dogs to stray.

However, there are fears the ban could make some dogs more dangerous.

A BBC Wales programme investigating these fears – Dogs on Death Row: Will the Bully Ban Work? – is available on BBC iPlayer.

Grandmother Shirley Patrick died after being attacked by an XL Bully cross at her home in Penyrheol, Caerphilly in December 2022.

Her daughter, Gail Jones, said the dog was brought into the house by someone else.

“The dog just ran from the conservatory… into the living room and went straight for her face,” she told BBC Wales.

Gail has joined a campaign for responsible dog ownership with Emma Whitfield, whose ten-year-old son, Jack Lis, was killed by an XL Bully in November 2021.

While Gail supports the ban, she has raised concerns about other breeds – and is calling for all large dogs to be muzzled in public.

“Somebody has got to do something about this,” she said.

“It’s only going to be a matter of time [before] another monster breed will be bred.

“I don’t want my mother to have died in vain.”

Dean Martin, who is a vet and welfare advisor to veterinary group IVC Evidensia, is worried attacks in the home could increase if the ban leads to more XL Bullys being kept indoors without stimulation.

He told BBC Wales: “My worry is that the American Bully XL population is quite young… so we’ve got young fit athletic dogs who are going to have a high demand for exercise, high demand for stimulation.

“If we end up frustrating these dogs, they’re not getting the exercise they need, is that going to run the risk of more attacks within the house?

“We don’t know is the simple answer, but it is a concern.

“Some dogs may be more likely to attack than they were beforehand.” 

South Wales-based dog charity Hope Rescue has warned a breed-specific ban won’t work – saying irresponsible breeders and owners are the source of the problem.

Caerphilly’s Labour MP Wayne David has voiced similar concerns. After the ban was officially announced in October, Mr David said a ban alone would not be “sufficient”.

The UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), which is responsible for dog safety, said it had taken ‘quick and decisive action’ to protect the public and was ‘making sure’ existing powers to tackle dog control issues were applied. 

DEFRA said owners whose dogs are dangerously out of control-regardless of breed-are already breaking the law, and enforcement authorities have a full range of powers to apply penalties to them.