A nine-month-old baby boy who died in a dog attack in Monmouthshire was killed by an XL bully, police say.
Emergency services were called to an address in Crossway, in the small village of Rogiet, at 6pm on Sunday after a report of an attack by a family dog.
The baby, who is yet to be formally named, was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Wednesday evening, Gwent police said the dog involved was a six-year-old XL bully, a type that in late 2023 was added to the list of banned dogs in England and Wales under the Dangerous Dogs Act after it was linked to fatal attacks.
The animal in the Rogiet attack, which was put down shortly after, was registered with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and a certificate of exemption was issued in 2024.
Vicki Townsend, assistant chief constable of Gwent police, said: “While the dog in this case was registered as an XL bully, it was done so proactively, before the ban came into effect.
“In preparation for the new law, when requesting a certificate of exemption owners were not required to formally identify the dog’s breed.
“In cases where a suspected banned breed is involved, only a DLO [dog legislation officer] or a court-approved independent assessor can make an official determination.
“No arrests have been made at this time, and this is still an ongoing investigation, and official identification of the dog was necessary.”
The baby boy was pronounced dead by Welsh ambulance service staff.
The dog was sedated and removed from the property and taken to a vet, where it was put down, police said.
The American XL bully is a modern type of dog developed in the 1990s – the largest variation of the American bully type that also includes the pocket bully and standard bully.
It is thought to have been bred from breeds including the American pit bull terrier, which was banned in the UK in 1991. It has a heavy bone structure and stocky, muscular body. Fully grown adult males can weigh more than 57kg (9st).
XL bullies made up half of the banned or dangerous dogs seized and euthanised by police forces in England and Wales last year. A freedom of information request by Radar shows 3,464 suspected XL bullies were seized in 2024, accounting for about half of the total 7,004 banned or dangerous dogs seized by the 36 police forces that provided data.
