Due to the size, strength, and aggression level of the American Bully, legal controls on the ownership of the breed exist in several countries.

The XL Bully was responsible for 10 of the 19 deaths caused by dogs in the UK in the period between 2021 and 2023, and in December 2023, the UK Government added the breed to the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, making it illegal to sell, breed, abandon or have a Bully XL in public without a lead and muzzle in England and Wales.

The standard American Bully type is a medium-sized dog with a compact bulky muscular body, heavy bone structure and blocky head.

[citation needed] The American Bully, as it is now known, began development in the 1980s with the majority of the final behavioral and aesthetic product being completed in the 1990s.

[11][12] There is consensus that at least five other breeds were used to attain the physical traits[clarification needed] desired as well as the more diminutive size of some lines.

According to the ABKC, the initial desire for this breed was to produce a dog with a lower prey drive and more of the "bully" traits and characteristics than the American Staffordshire Terrier.

Mass and heavy bone was prioritized to ensure such a look, and due to this many of the dogs shown today display the wide front for which they were originally bred.

He stated that the dogs' bite can shred skin and crush bones, carrying particular risk of irreparable nerve damage.

[14] In June 2023, MP John Hayes raised the issue in the House of Commons, calling on the government to urgently ban the XL Bully following attacks in recent years.

[23] On September 11, 2023, following an attack on an 11-year-old girl by an XL Bully,[24] Home Secretary Suella Braverman requested urgent advice on the feasibility of banning the breed.

It was reported that there were concerns within Defra, the government department responsible for administering the Dangerous Dogs Act, over the practicality of a ban.

Shortly thereafter Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed that the Bully XL would be banned by the end of the year.

[30] In January 2023, a BBC investigation found that organized crime in the UK was moving into the lucrative market of extreme dog breeding, specifically American Bullies, as a means of money laundering.

[36] On July 12, 2024, Minister for Community Development, Heather Humphreys announced plans to introduce a two stage ban beginning on October 1, 2024.

"[39] In September 2023, following a series of severe and fatal attacks in the UK, it was announced that ownership of the XL Bully would be banned in the country by the end of 2023.