The laws in Northern Ireland differ from ours in several respects, however the breed specific part of the Act 9 Article 25a) is essentially the same as that of England in that there are four banned breeds (and types thereof)
- The Japanese Tosa
- Fila Brasiliero
- Dogo Argentino
- Pit Bull Terrier
It is an offence to own or be possession of any dog to which article 25 a applies.
Until July 2011 there was no amendment to the Act and there was a mandatory destruction order on all dogs found to be of a banned breed type.
The amendment to the Act lifted the mandatory destruction order and gave the courts discretionary powers to exempt the dog if satisfied it poses no danger to public safety. The owner of dog must agree to the conditions of exemption which are the same as in England.
In England, DEFRA maintain the Index of Exempted Dogs whereas in Northern Ireland, individual councils run their own exemption registers.
The Dogs (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 can be found here
Dogs Amendment NI
Scotland
Again, as in the rest of the UK, the four prohibited breeds and breed types remain the same.
The Control of Dogs (Scotland)Act 2010